Diamond Hard
by Joseph Kursk
Summary: Katara has found herself in a spot of trouble; after having gone into a village, against Sokka's wishes, she ran into Azula and her cronies. Now, rotting away in a high security prison the only thing she can do is wait for the others to walk into a trap, and to figure out why there is a corpse sitting straight across from her. Warning, a tad OC...
1. Brother knows best

Chapter I

"Come on Sokka, why won't you come into town with me?" Asked an exasperated Katara. Sokka blew out a puff, shooting the piece of grass that had sat in his mouth up into air.

"Because Katara, I'm busy." He said, repeating his answer from only a few seconds earlier. Katara put her hands on her hips, letting out a huff of annoyance.

"Busy? You're not doing anything! You've been laying there for the past hour!" Sokka shrugged his shoulders apathetically.

"I'm busy doing nothing." He said, stretching out languidly and laying his intertwined fingers behind his head. Katara frowned, her brow scowling at her ever lazy older brother.

"You're intolerable!" She said stalking off.

"And you're pernicious!" Shouted Sokka after her, smiling at his articulated vocabulary.

'You don't even know what that means Sokka!" Shouted Katara over her shoulder. Sokka lay back down, a satisfied look on his face.

"Prove it." He said. Katara growled, muttering to herself and storming off, leaving the lazy oaf to lay in the tantalizing sunlight. The gang had been camped for three days, a village within twenty minutes of their position, and no one wanted to go and check it out, no one except Katara that is. For three days she had tried, unsuccessfully, to get someone to go with her into the village, but no one would go, each insisting that they had something important to do at the moment.

Katara let out a frustrated grunt. Well, if no one would go with her to the village then she would just go by herself. She would have a great time all by herself, and she would bring back something delicious only to eat it in front of everyone else, that would show them.

Katara marched off towards the village, only stopping to grab some money from their ever dwindling supplies. She reached into Sokka's pouch, retrieving a few silver pieces. Aang walked up behind her, silent and unnoticed.

"Why are you taking money from Sokka's bag?" He asked. Katara jumped, surprised at his presence.

"Aang, I didn't hear you there!" She exclaimed, stuffing the money quickly into her pocket. Aang lifted an eyebrow.

"You do realize I just asked you about the money right? Stuffing it in your pocket isn't going to make me forget about it." Katara blushed, embarrassed, like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She took her hand out of her pocket, showing Aang the silver pieces she had.

"Sorry Aang, you just surprised me, that's all." She said. Aang looked at her, his face its usual chipper countenance.

"That's okay Katara." He said, folding her fingers over the money. The two paused, sparks flying from their skins meeting. Aang quickly withdrew his hand.

"Don't worry." He said, a slight tint of red in his cheeks. "I won't tell Sokka." Katara smiled gently at Aang.

"Thanks Aang." She said, putting the money back in her pocket. "You want to come with me?" She asked. Aang shifted nervously on one foot.

"Sorry Katara, I really do, but Toph's in one of her moods right now and I'm supposed to be practicing my Earthbending." He said, looking over at the trees where he had come from.

"What are you doing over here then?" Asked Katara. Aang looked over at Appa.

"I have to get something from Appa, Toph wants her earth-rumble belt." He said. Katara raised an eyebrow, perplexed.

"Why does she need that?" She asked. Aang rubbed the back of his neck.

"So she can beat me with it." He said. Katara was a bit shocked. Toph was still fairly new to the group, but she was an Earthbending master, so Katara usually let her antics slide, but this might be going too far. As if to reaffirm Aang's last statement Toph's boisterous cry broke the serenity of the day.

"Twinkle-toes! Where in the name of the badger moles are you!?" Aang jumped, the fear of Toph being properly instilled in him.

"Sorry Katara but I really need to get a move on." He said, running over to Appa's saddle. Katara walked after him, a look of concern plastered across her face.

"Aang, maybe I should talk to her, she's going a bit tough on you." She said. Aang interrupted his frantic search, turning to face Katara. His eyes jumped about, full of anxiety.

"Don't do that Katara, you'll just make it worse!" He hissed softly, looking around with paranoia. Katara shook her head.

"I don't know Aang, I just don't think that it's healthy to go through so much abuse." She said

"Why? You always put me through it." Katara turned to see the cross form of her brother standing behind her. She turned red, anger burning her cheeks.

"Will you please stop your incessant whining? And why are you up, I thought you were busy doing nothing?" Sokka walked up to her, sticking his nose in her face.

"I was busy doing nothing." He said, jabbing a hand into Katara's pocket. "But I figured you would do this!" He said, pulling the money out and shaking it in a fist before her eyes. She reached out a hand to grab it, but Sokka pulled away, sticking his arm up and out of her reach.

"Hey, give that back!" She yelled, hopping up to try and reach his long arms.

"No." He said, pushing her away. "I already told you, we're trying to maintain a low profile. I don't want to run into those crazy girls from Omashu again." He said, recalling their crazed leader, a nut firebender who shot crazy blue flames about, setting everything on fire. And then, if you tick her off, she starts shooting lightning at you. That was a person that Sokka had no desire to see again, especially after the old dude got zapped. Sokka shook his head.

"Ya, we're not going into town." He said. Katara stomped her foot, not even noticing that Aang had long since abated them, running back to his Sifu for his beating.

"WE are not going into town, I am!" She said, trying to snatch Sokka's hand. He merely moved it back around and out of her reach.

"No." He said caustically, pushing her back once more. Katara began to boil, popping the lid off to her water skin, ready to bend her brother into the next millennia.

"Give me that money back!" She growled menacingly. Sokka fingered his boomerang.

"Noooooo." He reiterated, wagging his finger in front of Katara as if she were a naughty pet. Katara lost her patience then, stepping forward and with one fluid motion bending a shot of water straight at Sokka. However, Sokka, knowing his sister, merely stepped to the side and swatted the back of her hand with his boomerang, creating a loud _thwap_! Katara brought her hand back with a cry, rubbing it. The water fell to the ground, only to be picked up again by Katara as she spun and cracked a water whip where she thought Sokka was. He was not there. He had rolled under it and was standing up behind her, smacking her on the butt with his boomerang. Katara whirled around, furry permeating her every movement. Sokka smiled slyly.

"You know, I think that Mom never did spank you enough, that's probably why you're so rambunctious now." He said, laughing as he side stepped another one of her blows. "Come on sis, you got to do better than that to catch me, I've seen all your tricks before." He added, smacking Katara on the butt again with his boomerang. By this time Katara was completely irate, having lost all sense of calmness. She breathed out smoothly, bending the water about her in a death spiral. She whipped it around, catching Sokka off guard. The water hit him full force in the chest, sending him flying back, his body smacking into a tree. He fell to the grown with a solid thud, grabbing his side as he slowly got up. Katara glared at him defiantly, daring him to come at her again. Sokka stood up hesitantly, wincing as he prodded his side. He looked up at his little sister with a pained expression, a mélange of bitterness and agony. He threw the coins on the ground, staring at his sister with wavering eyes.

"Here, take your stupid money. Go into town, get us all in trouble, I don't care. I'm done babysitting you super-human prodigious. I guess you don't need the normal guy." Sokka walked away, making his way through the trees over to the hill he had been resting on earlier, each step accompanied with a sharp stab of pain. Katara watched him go, guilt rushing through her mind. She did not need to be so hard on him, he was at a disadvantage in the group, being the only one who could not bend. He was just trying to look out for them, and since this village was near a port city there was a good chance that they could run into fire-nation soldiers.

Half of Katara wanted to go and apologize for hurting him, but the other half scoffed at Sokka, thinking he got what he had deserved. It was the latter half that ended up winning out. Katara picked up the money, brushing off the dirt that had gotten on the silver pieces. She put them back in her pocket and marched off, holding her head up and suppressing the rising tides of guilt and shame.

Sokka strode passed the grassy hill and kept moving. He walked on and on, ignoring the blinding pain in his side. His sister was so infuriating! Why could she not see that going into the village was bad for everybody? They did not need any food, their clothing was all perfectly adequate, and no one needed medicine, so why was she so persistent in trying to go to the village? Sokka shook his head. It was because she was bored. Since Toph was getting all the time with Aang now Katara did not know what to do with herself, there was only so many times one could wash clothes. Unlike himself who could find entertainment in just resting, Katara always had to be doing something, sitting still was something only lazy people did. Sokka blew a stray strand of hair away from his head, cringing at the pain in his side. _Dumb waterbender_. He thought, allowing himself to sit down and take a breath.

_Dumb benders_! He thought. They all thought that they could do whatever they wanted because they could perform some fancy magic tricks, big whoop! They may be able to bend the elements, but they were missing out on something else they would never have. Sokka paused and thought for a moment, trying to think of what that was exactly. He lowered his head, sighing. Nothing.

Sokka knew in his heart that he was just the normal guy, and nothing he could think of was something unique that he could do that no one else could. They were all people as well as benders, him, however, he was just a person. Not even that good of a person either. He was supposed to be a warrior, but who was it that did all the fighting here? It sure was not him! And who was it that needed to be saved and protected constantly? Not the blind girl!

Sokka reached up for his boomerang, but noticed that it was missing. He had left it back near the campsite after Katara had blasted him. He sighed. Ohh well, he did not really need it. Sokka stared up into the sky, a tear slowly snaking its way down his cheek. He just felt so down, so empty, it was like there was nothing in him. To be honest with himself he really would not care if he was to die right now, at least it would be better than living in such an empty state. Anything would be better than this perpetual hollowness that now plagued him. Sokka punched himself in the side. He grimaced

_Well, not quite anything_. He thought, rubbing his side delicately. He sighed again. It was only a matter of time, soon he would be begging for beatings just so he could feel something. He got up, grunting through the pain. He looked out into the distance. He was not certain, but he thought that he could hear the sound of waves, braking far off against rocks. The low, rhythmic, beat was like music to his ears, drawing the water-tribe boy like the sweet sound of a siren song. He walked slowly, taking his time. He was in no rush to get back. In fact, he might not go back at all.

Katara walked down the streets to the quaint little village. It was not large, just nice and homey. The people there were very friendly, and there was not a fire-nation soldier in sight. Katara laughed to herself; Sokka was so paranoid. The only threat here was the alluring smell of pastries that emanated out of the bakery. Katara wondered in, following her nose to a sugary and fruity tart, glazed and steaming hot. Katara bought the fruit pastry, thanking the owner. At first she was determined to save it, but after a minute or so of trying her stomach overcame her and she devoured it, savoring every single morsel. It seemed that Sokka was not the only one in the family who had inherited a voracious appetite. After satisfying her hunger Katara wondered about the streets, smiling and greeting those she came upon. Everyone just seemed so nice and cordial, it really was hard to believe that there was a war going on outside this village. At a flower shop Katara stopped, walking in to look and smell at the beautiful bouquets. After that she went into a jewelry shop where she bought a white lace bracelet with a gorgeous blue stone for the last of her silver pieces. She smiled as she walked out, knowing that it probably was not the best way to spend the rest of her money but one that made her happy. She wished she could stay there in the village, in a perpetual sea of tranquility, but she knew that at some time it would have to end. She would have to go back to camp and face Sokka's disparages as he criticized her decision once again. It made her angry, thinking of how hypocritical that Sokka could be, ignoring the fact that she was doing the same exact thing.

Katara pushed Sokka out of her mind, determined to enjoy every moment she could before she returned to camp. She roamed about the village for hours, looking in at all the shops, speaking with the locals, asking questions and receiving courteous answers. Katara enjoyed herself immensely, feeling as if the war was just a myth that could not impinge upon the inhabitants of the village. She walked through an open market, looking at the fruits and vegetables, wondering to herself if she would bother fixing dinner that night. She decided promptly that she would not. The others would just have to fend for themselves for a while, they would not die if she did not cook for one night, today was her day. As she perused the market a haunting voice reached her ears.

"Ohh, what about this? Or this? It is his birthday, we should get him something nice to eat for dinner." Katara's blood froze as she recognized the voice of one of the girls from Omashu. It was the chirpy one with the braid who had blocked her bending. Katara stepped around the vendor's cart, sitting down and hiding behind it. She looked out, peeking around the corner.

There, not ten feet from where she had been standing, were the three girls from Omashu, inspecting the contents of a meat vendor.

_Freshest meat in the Earth-Kingdom_ is what the sign read. A bold, and misleading, proclamation that could hardly be verified through any source. One of the girls, their leader, sniffed at the meat, disproval sparking in her eyes.

"You call this the freshest meat in the Earth-Kingdom? You must truly be slipping if this is what you are offering." The vendor dipped his head, showing reverence to the girl.

"I am sorry princess, but I have not received a shipment from the home-land in over month, I had to resort to using some of the local produce until the next barges come in." The girl smirked.

""A pathetic excuse at best." She said, turning and walking away. The gloomy girl sighed and followed her, leaving the happy one to inspect the meat.

"What's this one?" She asked, pointing to a particularly red slab of meat.

"That's cow meat." He said. The girl raised an eyebrow, horrified. "Cow? What type of creature is a cow?" She asked. The vendor stroked his chin, thinking for a moment.

"It's kind of like a pig-horse or goat-sheep, only bigger and smellier." He said. The girl poked at the meat suspiciously. "And you eat it?" She asked. The vendor laughed.

"I don't, but it's a very popular dish amongst the natives." He said. The girl shook her head.

"Do you have any meat from the homeland?" The vendor shook his head.

"Sorry Mam, but just like I was telling the princess I'll be out until the next barge gets here in a week." The girl sighed, turning and walking away, coming back only to grab her bag of groceries. Katara watched until she was gone, then slowly stood up. She looked at the vendor suspiciously. Why had he known who that girl was? And why was he talking about the homeland? Was he not from this village? Katara wanted to leave and go back to camp to warn the others that they were in danger, but her curiosity about the place battled against her. She turned and looked to where the last girl had vanished too. Maybe she could follow them and acquire some useful information, that would really show Sokka.

Katara paused only for a moment longer, then she slunk away, sticking to the sides. She peeked around the corner, seeing the girls strolling around another vendor. Katara picked her way cautiously into hearing distance, going up to a mirror vendor in order to watch them without turning around. They were inspecting another meat cart, once again finding the meat not to their liking. The lead girl sighed.

"Well, we can at least tell him that we tried." She said, brushing back a strand of raven black hair. The gloomy girl seemed not to care, whereas the chipper one frowned, evidently disappointed.

"Come on Azula, it's his birthday! The least we can do is make something nice for him." Azula, the leader, seemed to mull it over for a few moments.

"Very well Ty-Lee, if you want to give him a special meal so much then you do the shopping for it, Mai and I are going to start heading back, these villages disgust me." She said, sneering at the quaint surrounding buildings. "I still don't see why we do this, no useful information has ever come from one of these fake villages, all the locals know they're not real." Katara gasped. The town was a set up!

The girls froze, having heard the gasp. It seemed that someone was eavesdropping on their conversation. They looked about, eyes narrowed. Katara tried acting natural, picking up a small hand mirror and looking into it, taking a second to wipe away an imaginary smudge. Without a word the three girls from Omashu spread out, acting normal, but with nefarious intentions in their minds. They walked around the vendors, looking at the costumers. Katara knew that it was only a matter of time before they recognized her in her water-tribe regalia. One of the girls, the chirpy one, apparently named Ty-Lee, started coming her way. Acting fast Katara set the mirror down and started walking in the opposite direction. She had taken only a few steps before a shattering crash brought the buzz of the market to a stand-till. The mirror Katara had placed back had fallen over, breaking on the ground with a noise that was entirely too loud for something of its size. Katara cringed, knowing now that all eyes were now looking in her direction. The owner of the cart, a small, cranky old man, began yelling at Katara, demanding that she pay for the mirror. His exasperated cries fell on deaf ears as Katara looked back over her shoulder at Ty-Lee. A smug grin sprung across the girl's lips as she recognized Katara.

"Well hello again." She said. Katara swallowed, anxiety making her hands shake. Last time she ran into these girls it was not pretty, and that was with Sokka and Appa on her side. Now she was all by herself in an apparently hostile village with who knows how many fire-nation loyalists in it. The situation was bleak to say the least.

Katara quickly popped the top off her water skin and bended a wave at Ty-Lee. Shocked the girl took it full in the chest, flying back into a cart. There was a crash as vegetables flew about, but Katara did not stay to watch. She turned and fled back down the street as fast as she could, bending what water she could so she could slide across it. The sound of slicing knives shot past her as the others joined the pursuit. Blue flames began bursting all around her, destroying her ice-way. Katara leapt into the air, twisting into what she hoped was a flip. She made a couple of blind shots behind her that missed, completed the rotation and landed on a new ice-way. Had she not been currently pursued by three fire-nation nut-jobs Katara would have congratulated herself on pulling off such a maneuver, but with the flames and knives flying past her there was no time to pat herself on the back.

Katara ran out of water to bend and so she started reusing the water from behind her, a slower process that still granted her flying speed. She made a tube and began spiraling down it, fireballs and sharp metal objects whizzing past her head. She was almost at the end of the tunnel when the ice around her shattered, throwing her into the side of a building. She grunted at the impact, looking up to see Azula and Mai closing in on her. She quickly got up and bended an ice wall in front of her, turning and running as quickly as she could. The rumbling sound of an explosion as well as flying ice shards marked the destruction of her wall, instilling Katara with a new wave of fear that gave her feet wings.

The only question that now ran through Katara's mind was whether or not she should lead them back to camp. If she did she could find aid from her friends, but there was the chance of them being pursued not only by the girls but also a whole battalion of fire-nation soldiers. Katara decided that it would be unwise to risk the others because of her foolish mistake. She decided that she would go past the camp, making sure not to bring them within site of it, that way she could warn the others and they could get on Appa and fly down to nab her. The only problem now was holding off that long to even get close to the camp. A blue fireball reminded her that she need to move faster. She pumped her arms as hard as she could, her legs burning from the exertion and her lungs ready to burst, but the threat of the fire-nation girls behind her proved a greater motivation than taking a break, so Katara kept moving.

Just as she was reaching the edge of the town she came across a fountain. Two young lovers sat cuddling right next to it, enjoying the amorous air. Katara bended the water out of the fountain and turned, totally shocking the lovers who fell over in each other's arms, and faced her pursuers. She shot out a few blades of ice then whipped the water into a massive wave, pushing it with all her might at the two girls running down the street after her. Katara turned and started running again, not bothering to wait for the wave to meet its mark. Azula, seeing the enormous wave coming at her, took in a deep breath and jabbed out two stiff fingers. A bolt of lightning jumped from her fingernails, crashing into the wave and exploding with a deafening roar.

Katara was almost out of the village, people diving out of the way as she flew by, followed by fire and lethal shards of metal. She saw the edge of the village and bended another ice-way in order to get out faster. Just as she was clearing the last house a jab of pain shot through her side. The water melted and she fell to the ground. She rolled and stood up, her right arm limp. She turned to face Ty-Lee. Apparently she had ran around and waited for her. Katara tried bending a whip at her but she ducked it and jabbed her a couple of times in the ribs. It felt like being prodded with searing irons. She fell to her knees and tried throwing her arms up but neither of them would work. Ty-Lee walked up to her, a smug look on her face. There was a cut on her cheek from when Katara had blasted her into the vendor's cart, cabbage leaves clinging to her outfit. She grabbed the back of Katara's hair, pulling her head back. She looked at her for a second then gave her a rabbit punch to the forehead. The last sight Katara saw as she fell to the ground was Azula and Mai's feet walking up to her, then she was consumed by darkness.


	2. Of angst and daydreams

**Chapter II**

Aang wondered back into camp, exhausted from his days training. The belt, thankfully, had not actually been used to beat him, but rather to instill a fear in him that Toph found desirable. Apparently if you did not fear your Earthbending teacher then they were not a good teacher.

Aang plopped down next to Appa, a resounding growl emanating from the fury beast.

"I know buddy, I know." He said, closing his eye to rest. The sinking sun shed its warmth on his glistening body as the sweat slowly evaporated. He was small, and scrawny, but he had the promise of having a good build later in life, something he really hoped for, he thought he could impress Katara more if he was just a bit bulkier. Aang put his arm over his eyes, blocking out the sun's rays. Slowly he began to drift off towards sleep, the sweet tranquility of its waves embracing him and healing his weary body.

"Hey, where's dinner?" Aang was startled back into reality by Toph's poignant exclamation. He sat up, looking over to where Toph was standing, her arms spread out.

"Where's Sugar-queen? Isn't she supposed to have my dinner ready by now?" Aang looked for Katara, not finding her or any signs of preparation. The cooking pot was still by Appa's saddle, and their water supply was empty. Aang scratched his head, perplexed.

"Twinkle-toes, where's Katara?" Asked Toph, looking over at him. Aang stood up and got a better view of their camp. Everything was normal, except the fact that Sokka had left his boomerang next to a tree. Aang started walking around, looking for the water-tribe siblings.

"Do you see Sokka anywhere?" Asked Aang. Toph rolled her eyes.

"What do you think?" She asked caustically. Aang gritted his teeth, breathing out through his nose. He had put up with her all day, he did not need this now.

"You know what I mean Toph." He said, peaking around a tree. Toph crossed her arms.

"If you were wondering if I could see Snoozel's with my feet then the answer is no." Aang went over to the grassy hill where Sokka had been resting earlier. It was empty, a flat area signifying where Sokka had been lying down. Aang returned to Toph, concern plastered over his face.

"I can't find Sokka or Katara." He said. Toph merely shrugged her shoulders.

"They probably went into town to get some more food or something." She said, making her way over to her earthen tent.

"But Sokka was pretty adamant about not going to the village, why would he go?" He asked. Toph shrugged her shoulders again. Aang walked after her.

"They were fighting when I left, do you think everything is okay?"

"You're asking the wrong person Twinkle-toes. Why don't you stop worrying and make some food for your Sifu? Because she is famished." Aang rolled his eyes, watching as Toph went over and lay down underneath her tent, closing it shut. Aang turned around and walked out of camp, making his way towards the village, determined to find his friends. He would have taken Appa, but then he would be at risk of being spotted by any fire-nation soldiers in the area, and if Sokka and Katara were in trouble then the best thing would be not to get caught.

As he made his way to the village a feeling in the pit of his stomach began to make him sick. He grabbed his sides, trying to breathe, but the feeling was overwhelming. He sat down, taking a breath. He could tell what was wrong, it was fear. Fear that Katara was in danger, fear that she was hurt, fear that she might be dead. This type of portent always preceded a horrible travesty. It was some sort of sixth sense that Aang possessed due to his close affinity with the spirit world. Aang felt like puking, but he knew that if he let the feeling spread it would take over and he would not have the courage to move forward, so he stood, pushing himself to travel onwards, towards the village and whatever lay in wait for him.

Aang reached the outskirts of the village, staying back in the foliage in order to remain out of sight. He could see the pathway, and a few houses. The area was wet, though it had not rained. Scorch marks lay on the path and on several houses, something had transpired. Being careful so as not to let anyone see him Aang crept up to the back of one of the houses, going around and looking further down the street. Sure enough all down the street lay the tell-tale signs of a bender battle. Burn marks and puddles of water dotted the street. A fountain that Aang assumed had been filled with water at one point was empty. People mulled about nervously, seeming to remember some foul event from earlier in the day.

Aang waited until a small child started walking down the street, waiting for her to pass. He then stepped out and followed the small girl, looking to make sure no one saw him. He grabbed the girl by the shoulder, startling her. She yelped and turned around, her grubby face streaked with mud. She stared wide eyed at Aang, confused by the mark on his forehead.

"You got something on your face mister." The child said, quickly forgetting her shock upon seeing the funny looking tattoo. She smiled, reaching up and trying to wipe it off. Aang noticed that her fingers were muddy as well.

"Can you tell me what happened here?" Asked Aang, whipping away the mud that had accumulated from her touch. The young girl frowned, sticking a finger up her nose.

"You know, I don't think that it's going to come off. If I was you I would leave the mud there, it looks a lot better than some sissy blue arrow." Aang turned red, scratching the back of his head.

"It's a tattoo, it's not going to come off." He said, getting side tracked.

"Ya, my brother got a tattoo, but my mom didn't want him too, so she yelled at him when he got it. It's a big tattoo, a lot like yours, only not so blue, or arrowish, or sissy looking. It's a big fire-nation emblem on his back. It's still new, and sometimes when he doesn't see me I come up and smack him as hard as I can and he starts crying and…" The girl continued on like this, spitting out words like Toph shot out witticisms. She continued on, speaking about her brother and her other brother and her sister who once convinced her that she was actually adopted and on and on and on. Aang could barely make out what she was saying but he could tell that it was not what he had asked of her. He tried to get the girl to stop but she just kept talking, so Aang decided it was best that he should just walk away. He turned and was about to go off when the girl yelled at him.

"Hey sissy! Don't go down that way, that's where the fire-nation guys hang out. They caught some girl today, and their out looking for her friends now. If they see your face around here they'll probably beat you up just because you look like such a wussy." Aang turned back around, her insults flying past him.

"They caught a girl? Was she a waterbender?" He asked, kneeling down and grabbing the girl's shoulders. The girl shook her head vigorously.

"Ya, she made this huge wall of water but this crazy girl shot lightning at it and it went FWOOSH!" She said making a gesture to show the enormity of the explosion. Unfortunately the expression consisted of also flinging mud everywhere, including Aang's face. He quickly wiped it off.

"And then she was skating down this magical ice path thingy like whoosh! And she was about to get out of town but this other girl, she was really pretty and when I get older I want to look just like her, but this other girl jumped off the top of my house." She said, pointing over to what must have been her house. "And she hit the other girl, not the crazy one the skating one, and she fell over and her arm didn't work and she tried to hit the pretty girl but she was already covered in cabbage leaves and she hit her again and then she hit her again and she fell down and the other girls came up and looked at her and then the crazy one was all like 'the snow-peasant, the avatar must be close by' and then she said some other things but I didn't hear because I saw this big mud puddle and I jumped in it but then my mom yelled at me and I ran away and…" Aang held up hand, shushing the girl.

"Wait, wait, wait; slow down. How many girls were chasing the water bender?" Asked Aang. The girl seemed to be disappointed that her story had been interrupted but she seemed to forgive Aang because he obviously did not know any better.

"There were three girls, one crazy one, one pretty one with the cutest braid ever, and one gloomy one who just sighed after they took out the waterbender girl." Aang looked over his shoulder, suspicious. It was the three girls from Omashu. He looked down the deserted street, feeling awfully exposed.

"Hey, wait a minute, you're the avatar aren't ya?" Aang froze, petrified.

"You are aren't ya?! Look at that arrow, wow, it's even stupider in person!" Aang was about to hush the girl but he paused, being offended at her arrow remark.

"What do you mean it's even stupider in person?" He asked, putting his hand on his hip. The girl had a coy smile, putting her hands behind her back.

"Nothing, it's just kinda dumb." She said, giggling.

"Don't you know what these tattoos symbolize?!" Asked Aang, pointing to his forehead, his ire slowly rising.

"That you're a sissy?" Aang started to reach out for the girl's neck, but a rough hand grabbed him by the collar and hulled him behind the house.

"Bye sissy avatar boy!" Called the girl, skipping away down to her house.

Aang thrashed and fought the hand that held him, fearing the worse. He turned and tried shooting a blast of air at whoever had him, but he received a punch to the face for his trouble. He fell down on his butt with an _ooffff_.

"Man Twinkle-toes, you were about to kill that kid." Said Toph. Aang blinked, his eyes watering from the punch.

"Toph?" He said, befuddled. Toph continued on, not noticing his interjection.

"I thought you airbenders were all about peace and harmony with nature and stuff like that, what did annoying little girls not make it on the list or something?" She said. Aang stood up, still confused.

"How did you know where I was?" He asked. Toph rolled her eyes, or at least attempted to do so.

"You know, maybe if you would practice more you could do it by now, but I used my feet!" She said, raising up a foot covered in mud and other noxious items. Aang gagged at the smell. "I could sense your vibrations as you left, and I figured you were going to go do something stupid, so I tagged along behind you." She said, casually picking her nose. Aang turned red, embarrassed that he had not thought about Toph's Earthbending sight. The reality of the situation, however, fell back down on him.

"Katara's been captured." He said, half to himself and half to Toph. Toph nodded her head solemnly.

"Ya, and we still don't know where Sokka's at, for all we know he could have been captured as well." A pang of fear traveled through Aang's body. Katara was imprisoned, who knows what those girls were doing to her. Toph stood by him, stroking her chin thoughtfully.

"We need to find both of them, but the fire-nation is going to be on the lookout for you." She said. "They don't know who I am, I can go through town and try to figure out what happened and see if there's any fire-nation posts nearby." Aang looked at Toph.

"What should I do?" He asked. Toph gave it a moment's thought.

"We need to move our camp, they're going to be looking for it. After that you should go out past the village, check around and see if there's any fire-navy vessels sailing around. Sokka said that we were near a port or something so that means water." Aang nodded his head.

"Alright, where should we meet up?" Toph froze for a moment, not having thought of that.

"Uhmm, we could meet…" She paused as she thought about it. She snapped her fingers as she figured it out.

"We'll meet at our campsite." Aang lifted an eyebrow.

"Which one, the new one or the old one?" He asked.

"Whichever the current one is." Said Toph. "But it should not be our campsite when we meet up there, our stuff should be moved by then." Aang nodded his head.

"Alright, just don't try and do something without me." He said, making his way back towards camp.

"Don't worry kid, I wouldn't dream about it."

Sokka sat on the beach, watching the waves crash on the shore. He was happy for once, truly happy. He had taken off his boots, letting the warm, pebbly sand sink in between his toes. A cool salty breeze blew in, smacking him in the face and throwing his hair back. The sky was clear and the sun was slowly setting, sinking into the sea as if it was evaporating. Sokka grabbed a handful of sand, running it through his fingers. He missed the ocean. Being from the water-tribe Sokka had inherited a natural affinity towards the sea. Despite the fact he could not bend it he still felt completely natural in water, and sailing on the sea was one of his greatest joys. Sure flying on Appa was nice and all but he much rather have the spray of salt-water in his face and the beating sun down on his brow as he battled the elements, trying to show his mastery.

Sokka sighed. Ya well, with Katara, it would not be much of a battle. She would merely bend the water and get them to where they needed to go, at a much faster pace than Sokka could ever set. Well, he thought, at least he would get the experience. There was just something about the sweat on your back and the challenge of the sea that made Sokka's heart jump. He did not need to bend in order to sail, he could do it with his own muscles, not his mind. This thought encouraged Sokka, making him pick up a stone. He felt it in his hands, nice and smooth, battered by the sea, much like he was, like his father was. He stood up, stretching out his legs. He took a couple of steps forward and slung the rock as far as he could. It went a pretty good distance, thunking in the water about fifty yards out or so.

Sokka smiled. Sure Toph could have launched it a mile away, but she would never feel the tension in her arm. She would not be able to feel the sinews of her muscles as they contracted then whipped around. She would not feel the torque in her torso as her body came across in one fluid motion. She would not feel the slight burn in her legs as she pushed off her back hip, rotating and bringing it through. Sure, Toph could have shot the rock a mile. She could have thrown it too, but that was beneath her, she was a bender, why would she toss something she could pick up with her mind? There was just something about doing it with your own two hands that Sokka found satisfying though. It was like a good, hard day's work. You were exhausted at the end but you felt like you had accomplished something.

Sokka began to walk down the beach, the sun quickly setting off in the distance. It would get cold soon, and he probably should start making his way back to camp, but he did not want too. He wanted to stay out on the beach, to walk in the sand and feel the breeze against his face. He knew that if he returned he would have to put up with Katara, who would be telling the others about the amazing time she had had in town. She would then make insinuations about how he was paranoid and annoying, making the others laugh. He did not want to put up with that, he should not have too. He had been babysitting those super-human benders for too long now. They did not need him, and as much as they did not believe it he did not need them either. He would just walk down this beach forever, letting it take him where it would.

The pain in his side had not abated, but it had slowly dulled until it was just an ache, something he could ignore. At times he had spat out blood, but nothing too serious. He had probably broken a couple of ribs, not the first time Katara had hurt him.

Sokka coughed, hacking up some of the before mentioned blood. He wiped his mouth, spitting into the sand. Perhaps it was a bit more serious than he thought. Eventually Sokka began to get winded, and he took a seat, reconsidering his plan to leave his friends. He hung his head.

He could not just leave his friends. Sure they were annoying and pretentious, especially his sister, but they kind of had a right to be, being as good as they were at what they did. Besides that it was his duty to protect Katara, what would his father say if something happened to her and he was not there to protect her? Sokka shook his head. Ya, it was time to head back.

Sokka stood up with a grunt, pushing himself off the rock. He began to retrace his steps, the light gone. The sound of feet crunching across sand made him pause. He stopped, dropping to a knee and listening carefully. Someone was running in his direction, and from the sound of it they were coming from up the beach where he had been earlier. Sokka moved behind a boulder, grabbing a rock. He waited until the feet had almost passed him, then he sprang out. He side armed the rock, nailing his pursuer in the knee. A cry emanated from the body as it fell over and rolled into the sand. Sokka went up to whoever it was, rolling him, or her, over and onto their back, fist raised.

"Alright, what are you doing punk?" He asked, really hoping that it was not some guy out on a late night jog. To his surprise, and relief, it was not some poor innocent citizen but rather Aang, covered in sand and pouring sweat.

"Ohh, it's you." Said Sokka, offering a helpful hand. Aang reached for it, only to have Sokka pull it away from him at the last second.

"Why don't you just airbend yourself up avatar?" He said, turning around and walking back towards camp. Aang spat out a mouthful of sand, kicking his legs and doing just that. He limped up to Sokka's side, rubbing his knee.

"Sokka, where in big trouble!" He said. Sokka rolled his eyes.

"Ya, so what, you guys can handle it, you're all benders." He said, picking up his pace. Aang hurried up as well, wincing at the pain in his leg.

"It's Katara, she went into the village and…" Sokka held up a hand.

"Ya, ya, I know, she went into the village and now there's some angry band of fire-nation nut jobs trying to hunt you guys down. I hate saying I told you so." Aang raised an eyebrow. "Well, actually I love telling you I told you so, so I'm going to." Said Sokka. "I told you so!" He said, turning around and yelling in Aang's face. Aang blinked as spittle sprayed across him. Sokka kept marching off, the pain in his side growing. Aang followed.

"No, that's not it, it's those girls from Omashu!..." Sokka interrupted Aang again.

"Ya, ya, they're here and their chasing you guys down, not my problem. Why don't you take them on, you know, three on three?" He said, making reference to Toph's disparage at his fighting abilities. Aang kept after him, grabbing his shoulder.

"No, that's not it either, would you just stop and listen for a second!" Sokka paused, shaken by the anxiety in Aang's voice. His eyes were wide with fear, something not usually seen in that boy's countenance.

"Katara's been captured!" He said. "She was in town when she must have ran into those girls from Omashu. Apparently there was a big battle but she didn't get away. We don't know where she is or if she's even still alive. All we know is that she's gone and that those girls are now out looking for us!" The lilt in Aang's voice dropped, choked on emotion. Tears began to roll down his face as the hopelessness of the situation came crashing down on top of him. There was nothing he could do right now to palliate Katara's suffering. He did not even know where she was!

Sokka stopped to think about this revelation. The very thing he had told Katara not to do she went ahead and did, and now she had gotten herself into a whole mess of trouble. Toph was no doubt in town trying to scrounge up what information she could, leaving Aang to find him, as he had disappeared early in the afternoon. They wanted him to formulate a plan of attack didn't they? They wanted him to come in when everything fell apart to clean up their mess. Sokka shook his head. It was not happening this time.

"Not my problem." He said, turning and walking away, his feet crunching against the sand. Aang stood shocked, his mouth agape. Sokka had just brushed off the fact that Katara had been captured as if he had told him she had gotten a bruise. He was totally apathetic to his own sister's plight!

Aang blinked his eyes, shaking himself out of his stupor. Sokka was back down the beach, putting his boots back on and climbing up the hill back towards camp, or at least where the camp had been. Aang ran after him, catching up to him after a minute or so.

"What do you mean it's not your problem!?" Demanded Aang, catching a quick breath at the bottom of the hill. Sokka pause in his climb, leaning back with a grimace.

"Like I said, it's not my problem. I told her not to go into town or something bad would happen, and what does she do? She blatantly ignores me and goes into town. Now that something bad has happened the rest of you are all falling apart like it's some big surprise!" Sokka kept climbing, spitting out a glob of blood. Aang shook his head.

"But you're her brother!" He said, climbing up after him. Aang quickly caught up to Sokka's slowed pace. He took a seat on a boulder halfway up the hill.

"Ya, so what, big deal. She's a bender, she shouldn't have gotten into trouble in the first place; she should have just done some fancy magic trick and whisked herself away, safe and sound." Sokka put his hands over his head, trying hard to catch his breath. Aang did not even notice.

"What's wrong with you? Stop wallowing in self-pity and get a grip!" Shouted Aang, smacking Sokka across the head. Sokka turned back, his anger burning in his face. He curled back and let Aang have one, breaking the airbender's nose and sending him tumbling back down the hill. Aang landed in the sand, his face pouring blood. His eyes watered as he looked up at where Sokka was, stalking up the hill and into the foliage. Aang bended some salt water out of the ocean and used it to clean off the blood, stuffing two strips of his sleeve up his nostrils to stop the bleeding. He ran back up, chasing Sokka through the brush.

"Sogga!" He yelled, his nose completely clogged. He kept running through the brush, calling out Sokka's name, or at least his current pronunciation of it.

"Sogga, wait!" He cried, catching up with him. Sokka stopped, his back to Aang.

"What Aang?" He asked his voice low and angered. Aang walked up to him, looking him in the face.

"I don't know what's wrong with you." He said, resisting the urge to rub his broken nose, which had already begun to swell. "But we need you, and if you care about Katara at all you'll come back to camp with me and set things straight." He said, walking past Sokka, blood dripping down to the forest floor. Sokka watched him disappear, contemplating his options. He could ignore the situation and let Katara deal with the consequences to her own actions, it was the least she deserved for being such a brat. Sokka shook his head; that's not what dad would do. He had told him to look after his sister while he was gone, no matter what happened. For the most part it had been the other way around. Sokka had lived in his own world, ignoring their mother's death and erecting walls around himself to keep himself safe from harm. He had been careless and a burden on everyone, but Katara had still watched after him. She had taken the full brunt of their mother's death, alone, and without her brother. She had taken her place, taking care of him when it should have been the other way around. Now she had made a mistake, just like he had, and he was turning his back on her. He smacked himself upside the head_. Idiot!_ He steeled his resolved and made a vow to himself then and there that the day he would give up on Katara would be the day that breath ceased to course through his body. Unknown to Sokka, that day might be approaching sooner than he thought.

Back at camp sat a pile of rocks. Underneath the rocks, completely encased, was a little blind earthbender, calmly passing the time by picking her toes. She had showed up at camp about half an hour ago, satisfied that Aang had cleared out, moving their campsite to what was hopefully a safer position. Toph had then added a few finishing touches, removing any trace of foot prints as well as covering their fire pit with rocks that looked perfectly natural in the landscape. She had then made herself a little pile of rubble and had inserted herself neatly into it, removing herself from prying eyes. The fire-nation did not know her yet but it would look awfully strange for a blind girl to be sitting in the middle of the forest for no apparent reason. Sure she could whip up some tears and some sob story about how she had gotten lost and that she was so terrified being out in the forest all by herself but she did not feel like putting up with people right now, and she certainly did not want to be the fragile little girl again, not after having been in that village. Everyone had taken pity on her, offering her assistance and comfort. Toph, trying to pry information from them, had to grudgingly fain appreciation. _Blah!_ She hated the delicate rose act, she much rather had beaten the information she wanted out of those yahoos, but that would have drawn to much attention. The blind little girl act was much more subtle, but she had to watch it, in a sense, that crazy firebender knew she was against her, if not with the avatar, so she needed to watch out for her. Luckily she had not ran into her, and so now she waited patiently for Aang to return, hopefully with Sokka.

As Toph waited she let her thoughts turn to Sokka. She snickered; that guys really amused her. The way him and Sugar-queen were always at it, it was quite humorous, besides that he was very jocular, always making funny cracks and puns that she, though she would not admit it, found really funny. He also set himself as an easy target, thus giving Toph plenty of practice for her own sarcastic personality. He always took it in good humor though, exchanging one witticism for another. Toph smiled; she was not quite sure yet but she thought she liked him. The way he was around her, it was just, different. He did not act like she was fragile, in fact she was pretty sure it never crossed his mind. He hardly took into account the fact that she was blind, just assuming, correctly, that she was one bad ass earthbender. He did not treat her like a child like Katara did, but rather behaved as if she was his equal, and sometimes his protector, as he ran to her for shelter from some idiotic situation he had gotten himself into. Toph could feel her cheeks begin to flush as she thought of him more and more. She stopped herself. _What was she doing!?_

She was Toph Bei Fong, the toughest earthbender in the world! What was she doing thinking about some guy in such a mushy mindset? The only reason she should be thinking about a guy is when she was thinking about hammering his sorry butt into the ground! She blew away a stray strand of hair, annoyed at her lapse in judgment. She had let her feelings circulate through her system; that was not healthy, she would have to remember to squash them the next time they arouse.

Her thoughts of crushing her other thoughts were disturbed with the small, feminine vibrations that signified the arrival of Twinkle-toes. Her heart skipped as she also recognized Sokka's distinct tread, something that greatly annoyed her. There was something wrong with his gait though, he walked more unsure than he usually did, there was something wrong with his side. His heart beat at strange intervals, almost weakly at times, something that was obviously not normal. A stab of fear shot through her as she sensed his heart faltering, then kicking back up, making him stagger.

"I don't think this is where we had camp set up." Said Aang's tentative voice. Sokka grunted.

"Please, I remember where we've been camped at for the past few days, this is it." As if on cue Toph stood up, shooting debris everywhere. Aang cringed, covering his bald dome with his arms. Sokka stood still, brushing the dirt of his shirt.

"About time you lame o's showed up, I was getting bored." Said Toph, yawning to reinforce her assertion. Sokka was not amused.

"Please Toph, we don't have time for your antics right now. It would help if you would at least act like my sister is in danger, but if you can't do that the least you can do is keep your mouth shut." Aang swallowed hard. Toph stood still, deflated by Sokka's tone. She had not been expecting such a volatile reaction from him, her joking buddy. Her cheeks turned red as she had just a few moments ago thought fondly of him.

"Sorry." She mumbled, lowering her head. Sokka waved his hand at her, brushing her off. He walked past her, going to the boulders. He sat down with some effort, taking time to spit out a splat of blood. Aang still did not notice.

"So what are we going to do Sogga?" He asked, the strips still in his nostrils. Toph raised an eyebrow.

"What's up with you Aang? You got a cold or something?" Aang shifted uneasily on his feet.

"Na, justh a bloody noth." He said, resisting the urge to scratch his swollen nose.

"How'd you get that?" Asked Toph.

"I punched him." Said Sokka plainly. Toph was shocked, Sokka had punched Aang? Sure she threatened to beat him with a belt, and even at times knocked him around a bit, but she never drew blood, and it was all in the name of training. What excuse did Sokka have for dropping Aang? Sokka did not bothering further elaborating and Toph decided that now was not the best time to figure out the details, so she let it rest as a mystery for the moment.

"Alright, first things first. Toph, what did you figure out in the village? Aang said you were going to scrounge up some information." Toph shifted her attention away from Aang and over to Sokka.

"I asked around, and they said Katara was carted away. Apparently there's a fire-nation high security prison about half a day's ride to the north-west. More than likely they took her there." Toph could feel Aang's heartbeat sky rocket, Sokka's, however, remained surprisingly calm.

"Did you get anything on the prison?" He asked. Toph nodded her head.

"Ya, from what I could gather it's some place the fire-nation sticks people they don't ever want to see again, and all the people that are stuck there are over here in the earth-kingdom so that if they did get out they won't create havoc in the fire-nation. There's some pretty twisted stories about what goes down there." Said Toph. The sound of Aang's heart crashing in her ears made her decide to forgo the prison horror stories, though there was a particular ghost one that she had found quite amusing. "It's suppose to have top notch security, impenetrable walls, and a garrison of elite firebenders stationed not half a mile away." She finished, recalling all the information she had obtained.

"Can you get us inside?" Asked Sokka. Toph nodded her head.

"Ya, as long as it's not metal." She said. Sokka began to stroke his chin, something he did while thinking. He was quiet for a while. Finally he came up with a plan. He told them, they didn't like it.


	3. How to break a bender

**Chapter III**

Katara arose out of her torpor with a blinding headache. She sat up, reaching a hand to her head, trying to palliate the thudding pain. Chains clinked at her movement, shocking her. She looked down.

Her hands and feet were shackled. She looked around, noticing that she was in a metal cell. She had been captured! The events of the past day raced through her mind as she remembered it all. She let out a sigh. She should have listened to Sokka. As much as she hated to admit it Sokka had been right. If she had just swallowed her pride and had listened to him for once she would not be in her current situation, chained in a metal box with a corpse suspended not three feet away.

Katara let out a small shriek. There was a body in her cell! She put her hands over her mouth, looking at the skeletal frame. Skin clung tightly to massive bones. Obviously when he had been alive this was a large man; his bones protruded out, displaying his girth. Large round knobs stuck near his neck, revealing what must have been his broad shoulders. Legs sat chained, the meat that was left clinging on to dear life to his thick thigh-bones. His feet and hands were covered with metal, as well as a mask over his mouth. His head was large and ghastly, a skeleton face wrapped with skin, his hair all but gone and what few strands he was in possession of merely wiry wisps. His eye sockets were hollow and empty, black circling around it. The eyelids fluttered open, revealing sharp blue eyes.

Katara screamed again, clasping her mouth shut. The corpse slowly moved, the eyes looking her over. She now noticed that this poor wretched soul was actually a living being, bereft of any signs of health. His lungs rasped against his ribs, fighting for every breath, the skin across his chest wrapped tight. His nose was narrow and lacking in any shape, just a point. The only thing that remained human was his eyes. Blue, opulent eyes, sparkling with a wealth of life and energy that was not reflected in his appearance. He scanned over Katara, viewing every inch of her. She felt naked, pierced by those brilliant blue sparks residing in a hollow skull. She felt as if he was absorbing every single thought, every feeling and secret she had ever had, and storing it away in his mind. Slowly he lifted a languid arm, a stick with flesh wrapped about it. The weight of the chain was almost too much for him to bear, but he managed, somehow. It looked as if his arm would snap at the exertion, but eventually he raised it all the way. A bony, fetid finger stretched out, pointing at Katara's forehead. Katara stared, scared of the person before her. She did not realize that he was trying to bring attention to the bump on her head, he was trying to help her, but she only saw a forlorn creature in front of her. It would be a mercy if death found him.

Slowly the figure lowered his arm, resting it back by his side. Katara then realized that only his index fingers were exposed on his hand. She found this perplexing. On his feet only his big toes were uncovered as well, a strange arrangement to say the least. She starred at the figure, pity quickly replacing her fear.

What had happened to this wretched soul that he should wind up like this? Surely he had paid the price for his crime, if indeed he had even committed a crime. Tears began to well in her eyes as her empathy turned into physical action. She wished she could move over, to embrace the poor soul, but she was bound to the wall, barely having enough slack to shift positions. The figure looked at her, his eyes softening. Katara could not tell for certain, but she was sure that beneath the mask there was a gentle smile.

For a time Katara sat there, staring at the stranger in her cell, overwhelmed with pity. Then the desperation of her situation overcame her, bringing her back to the fact that right now the others were probably looking for her, walking straight into a trap. Tears began to spring into her eyes as she realized what a fool she had been. Now they were all in danger, not just her. She had been so selfish, and now everyone else would pay the price.

Katara began to weep into her arms, forgetting about her cell mate and thinking only of the horrid trap that Azula was setting. She thought about how Aang would charge head on into it, looking to save her. It would be useless though, avatar or not there was no way Aang could succeed. Azula had all the advantages. Besides, who knew if they even knew she was missing by now? They could have assumed she was still in the village. Then Azula would have her forces sneak up on the camp, surrounding them. Maybe Toph would be able to warn them in time and they would manage to escape, but then again maybe she would not. Katara's head hurt and with her sobbing and troubled thoughts it just made it worse. She wished she was unconscious again, out of the grasp of her imagination.

She cried to herself softly for a while, unaware of a noise that had begun across from her. Eventually she noticed the noise, pausing to look up. Her face was red and splotchy from her tears. She peered through blurred eyes and saw the figure across from her clinking his chains against the floor, softly, trying to get her attention. She looked at him, confused. He looked at her with those kind blue eyes, white glinting underneath the mask. He was smiling at her. His lips slowly moved, creating a crack of a voice, a soft whisper on the wind.

"Don't cry." He said, the voice almost drowned out by the air between them. Katara blinked, surprise that the figure could speak in his state.

"Don't cry." He said again, his voice losing strength. Katara felt ashamed, having been wallowing in self-pity when this dejected form sat straight across from her, apparently still in good humor. She wanted to reach out to him, to comfort him and nurse him back to health, but the sound of boots striding down the hall made the figure's smile disappear, if it had truly even been there in the first place and not just a figment of Katara's imagination. His eyes dropped to narrow slits, barely open as a key was inserted into the lock. The door swung open noisily, grinding on rusted hinges. Azula stepped in, shaking her head.

"I thought that I told someone to fix that!" She said, barking at a guard behind her. The guard cowered in fear.

"Sorry princess, we'll have it fixed, you have my word." Azula fixed a strand of hair that had fallen out of place.

"You better, least you wish to see yourself in one of these cells." The guard bowed, mumbling his sincerest apologies. He backed away, striding quickly down the hall, probably searching for a new set of hinges. Azula turned back to the occupants, shaking her head.

"It's so hard to find good help these days." She said, as if the prisoners actually cared. Katara noticed that Azula held a large platter of food, steaming rice, vegetables, and chicken dosed in some sort of fragrant sauce. Katara felt her stomach rumble. She had not eaten anything besides breakfast and that pastry the day she was captured, whenever that was, and her hunger was now beginning to become apparent. She tried to hide her hunger though, not wanting to seem weak in front of her captor. Besides, the poor man in the cell with her needed the food far more desperately than she did. Why did she bring the food with, was it to torment the poor soul? Katara frowned, if Azula started to eat in front of that wretched being she would lose it. She did not care if she was chained up she would thrash and kick so violently that she would force Azula to leave. No one deserved to be treated like that.

Azula did not even bother to look at her, rather walking straight over to the gaunt figure.

"This one is quite stubborn here." She said. Katara realized that Azula had directed it at her. She looked up at her with as much malevolence she could muster. Azula laughed at her.

"Ohh please peasant, as if I would feel concerned being judged by you. Besides, I didn't do this to him, he did it too himself." She said, setting the platter down. "He refused to eat any more unless we took the mask off. I told him that we already freed two fingers and two toes and that he was asking too much, but he insisted. For the past four weeks he has held true to his word, and now, to demonstrate that I am not the monster you have probably projected me to be inside your mind I shall make a deal with him." At this she turned to the figure. "I will let you have the mask off four days a week, the other three you must have it on, the only catch is that the days you have it on you have to promise to still eat." She said. The figure took one look at the platter of food and then turned his eye back to Azula, he shook his head slowly. Azula grinned.

"Good." She said, taking out a key and undoing the mask. It dropped to the floor with a clang. She then scooted the platter over to within his reach, allowing him to eat. To Katara's surprise the man showed much restraint, taking his time to grasp the food between his two, boney, exposed fingers, lifting it to his mouth and chewing slowly. Azula watched him eat, her eyes encouraging him to devour every morsel. It took half an hour for him to eat it all, eating at a nice slow pace, but he eventually forced himself to consume the food set before him, his belly bloating out for what must have been the first time in months. A satisfied grin came to his face as he leaned his head back against the wall. He eyed the mask suspiciously, seeing if Azula would be true to her word. Azula frowned after she tracked his gaze.

"Ohh come now, you now that I'm true to my word, as long as I'm not talking to Zuko." She added, snickering. To make her point she kicked the mask off to the side, showing him that she did not intend on putting it back on him. The figure gave a slow, satisfied nod and let his head rest against the wall, his eyes closing as he fell into deep sleep. Azula smiled to herself, amused with his behavior.

"I'll tell Ty-Lee that you enjoyed her cooking." She said, kicking the plate out of the cell. Katara had sat quiet the whole time, watching the strange dance unfold before her. She did not know much about Azula, but she was pretty sure that this was not how she acted. Azula had taken a pot shot at the old man Zuko traveled with, his uncle according to Toph, which would make him Azula's uncle as well, since her and Zuko were siblings. It did not make any sense; why would she show such animosity to her own flesh and blood yet treat a prisoner so tenderly?

Azula turned to Katara, disrupting her thoughts. She smiled menacingly at her, turning Katara's blood to ice.

"Now it's our turn to spend some time together." She said, walking out of the cell. A few seconds later two guards came in, cuffing her hands behind her back then unshackling her from the wall. The yanked her up gruffly, leading her out into the hall. For the first time Katara noticed that she was in nothing but her undergarments, having been stripped of everything else. She felt embarrassed, exposed, she wanted to hide herself, feeling as if everyone was staring at her in her underwear. Almost everyone was.

The other prisoners leaned out of their cells, staring at Katara as she was marched past. Some hooted or hollered, reaching out hands to grab her, but after Azula broke one of them with a swift kick the hands receded, more afraid of Azula than attracted to Katara. They took her down the corridor, down ten flights of stairs, and into a room in the basement. Katara caught her breath as she saw the room.

In the room sat every conceivable utensil of torture devised by man, and some that were not. Racks, knives, ropes, screws, pikes, needles, whips, salt, and so many other foul and horrendous things that Katara could not even keep track of them. Azula picked her way through the debris with a disgusted look, brushing back some of the bloody tools.

"I am not a big of a fan of physical torture, it is rather tiresome and trying. Blood gets everywhere, and to be honest it's rather cruel at times, but it gets the job done." Katara had a hard time believing that Azula cringed at the sight of other people's pain. The guards pushed her into a wooden chair, wires running around on it. They tied down her feet and hands with leather straps then left, leaving Katara and Azula alone. Azula circled her, watching her closely.

"I don't usually come here, there's really no need to, except on special occasions such as this." She said, her teeth shining. "I've tried my hand on some earthbenders, the occasional firebender, but never a waterbender." She said, her smile nefarious. "You see, by now the only waterbenders left are from the northern water-tribe, but they stay hunkered down in their little ice palace, ignoring the rest of the world. Zhao was stupid enough to try and disturb them when the avatar was with them, but when I go back there to finish the job I'll make sure it's done right." She said. Katara stared straight ahead, trying not to make eye contact. Azula continued on.

"You're the first waterbender I've actually ran into, so this is going to be quite fun." Azula walked over to a strap of leather, slapping it firmly against her palm, then left it on the table.

"Tell me peasant, do you know how to break an earthbender?" She asked. Katara ignored her, determined to give her the same silent treatment that the man in her cell gave her. Azula ignored the silence, taking it as a sign to continue on.

"You study their element. Earth is steadfast and firm, unchanging and durable. How do you break such a substance? You can't just smash it, you'll just make it crumble to pieces, and those aren't very useful. No." She said, looking at Katara. "You must find its opposite. Earthbenders hate uncertainty, it's in their nature. Their element is firm and predictable, it does not flow like water or change with the breeze like air. So what do you do with that, hmm?" She asked Katara. Icy silence was her only reply.

"You give them random intervals. You start by waking them up at random times, sometimes early in the morning, sometimes not at all. You let them sleep all the way through the night, then you keep them up all night long with endless noise. You deafen them with bells and gongs, then you let them rot in silence. After you have begun to chip away at them you use something like that chair you're sitting in." Katara looked at the chair, the frayed wiring looking very perilous. Azula smiled.

"That chair will deliver extremely painful electric jolts for a random interval of time, like this." She said, pressing a button. A surge of electricity ran through the wires, coursing through Katara's system. She creamed out in pain, her nerves feeling as if they were on fire. The current stopped, leaving Katara to slouch over in the chair, tears trickling down her cheeks.

"We'll sit here and talk to them, just talk to them, bringing up whatever we can think of. Sometimes in a session the subject can be electrified almost every other second, but then sometimes they are not shocked at all. This goes through their mind as we bring them down here, and sometimes they just break down crying at the mere sight of that chair, begging us to do anything else but the chair." Katara looked up at Azula. She sat there, smirking at her.

"So, peasant, tell me, how do you break a firebender?" She asked. Katara kept her mouth shut, staring at her defiantly. Azula clucked her tongue.

"Come now, can't we be cordial?" She asked, her finger reaching for the button. Katara wanted to cry out, to stop the shock from coming, but her pride did not let her, so she braced herself. The shock came again, worse this time and longer, like a thousand flames sparking up within her body and burning her from the inside out. By the time the current had stopped running through her body she smelled like burnt flesh, tears streaming down her face.

"Come now, tell me peasant, are you really this thick? Just answer my question." Katara looked up, seeing Azula's finger hover above the button. Before she knew what she was doing she cried out.

"Wait!" Azula smiled sinisterly at her.

"That's more like it. It's really a bother when I have to resort to such brutish tactics just to have a conversation with someone." Katara was mad that she had called out, but she reasoned with herself that it was not that bad, she did not have to be stubborn. Who knows, perhaps Azula was not as evil as she had thought. _Ya, and maybe water isn't wet_.

"So, peasant, what's the answer to my question?" Katara thought for a moment, recalling her conversations she had with Sokka about fire-nation soldiers.

"Ice, cold, water." She said, her tongue not feeling right in her mouth. Azula frowned.

"Well yes, those are ingredients." She said. "I was looking for more of a process really, but I guess I can't hold my hopes too high, you are just a peasant." She said, ruffling Katara's hair with a mocking smirk on her face.

"Freeze them, drown them, strip them of everything that makes them fire-nation. That is how you break a firebender." Said Azula.

"Would it break you?" Asked Katara. Azula paused, giving it half a moment's thought.

"Let's just say that by some magical series of events someone manages to capture me, I do not think it would work, as I am much stronger than any normal firebender." It was Katara's turn to smirk.

"Well then there's something wrong with your logic, as it is supposed to break any bender." Azula frowned, annoyed at the turn the conversation was taking.

"Why don't we switch spots and we'll see just how long you last." Continued Katara. Azula laughed at her, breaking Katara's spirit, as she had believed she was pressing her buttons.

"Please, as if I would switch places with you." Said Azula, waving her off. "Anyways, continuing on with our lesson." She said, waltzing across the room.

"I am certain that by now even you get the pattern here. So I won't even bother telling you what one does to break a waterbender." Katara swallowed hard at the thought, voicing it out loud.

"Heat." She said. Azula grins at her with a sadistic tinge.

"Why yes peasant, that is correct, heat. I cannot imagine why you would hate the heat, but it seems that you do. It is probably because you spend your whole miserable lives stuck in an ice cube to live in." Katara tried not to think of all the tortuous devices that could be associated with this path. Hot blades, fire rooms, scorching bricks, dehydration, there were ohh so many ways that Azula could use heat to break her that Katara cringed just at the thought, no doubt Azula's intention.

Azula strode across the room, Katara unaware of her path. She was soon shocked back into attention though, after Azula sent an agonizing current of electricity through the chair. Katara let out a muffled scream, shaking violently. After the current abated Katara slumped forward, her energy gone from enduring such acute pain. Her breath was ragged and beads of sweat poured down her face. She wanted to be free, to be away from the pain, but there was nothing she could do, she was strapped to a chair with a maniac not five feet away from her. Katara fought the urge to cry, not wanting to seem weak before her adversary. She would not give her the satisfaction of knowing how much pain she was really in. She forced herself to sit straight up, blinking away any tears that tried to accumulate in her eyes. She stared straight ahead, ignoring Azula's movements.

"Well, I do believe that we have had enough fun for the day." Said Azula, walking over to the door. Katara looked at her, perplexed. They had barely been in there for half an hour, and she had only been shocked a few times. They were done already? If this is what torture was like then it really was not that bad. Azula looked back at her, sensing her thoughts.

"Don't worry peasant, there will be plenty more where that came from, I just wanted to give you a quick taste. I'm rather busy at the moment and so I'm afraid we'll have to cut our time together short for the day, but I promise that tomorrow it will be different." She was right, the next day was a lot different.

For three hours Katara was in that room with Azula as she practiced different methods that she claimed to have never used before, such as the rack, compression suits, and the whip. Katara seriously doubted that she had never tried those methods before as the pain was excruciating. While on the rack she could feel her bones slowly being ground out of place, popping out and back in like some demented game of whack a mole-bird. Next came the compression suit. A tight leather suit that was filled with air until one could hardly breathe. It pressed against her body with such force that she thought her ribs were cracking, which several actually did. Azula would then force her to have petty conversations. Talking about the most absurd things like what she thought of her shoes at the moment, were they to pointy or did they not seem sinister enough? What was her favorite hairstyle, should she wear her hair up or down? Was it better to tell a boy that you like him straight up or play hard to get? If she did not participate in the conversations there was always a button to send electrical shocks through the suit, so Katara played along, each sentence a tax on her strength, as it was an arduous tax to refill her lungs. The worst torture, however, was the whip. It was not merely the physical pain as it sliced through the back of her flesh with such animosity, but rather it was the shame and humiliation it brought with it. Being tied up with ropes, with nothing but your undergarments on, then being whipped across the back, again and again and again, as if you were some sort of criminal, it was absolutely humiliating, even though Azula was the only one there to see it. Katara did not know how one could endure being whipped in public, she would die of embarrassment long before blood lost.

At the end of their time together AZULA rubbed salt in her wounds, causing Katara to scream with such force that she thought her lungs would burst. At the end of it all she was dumped back in her cell, a feeble sack of meat, battered and torn apart.

After sobbing quietly to herself for a while Katara managed to force herself to a sitting position. She looked over at her cellmate. He had improved much in the last two days alone, but he was still barely more than a skeleton. The times when he was not eating he was asleep, and the times he was not sleeping he was eating. If, on the occasion, Katara caught him in a respite from both activities the figure merely whistled. At first his whistling was short and ragged, causing him extreme exhaustion which would then put him to sleep, but as the days began to pass, as Katara was left in her cell without interruption for the next four days, his strands became longer and more intricate. Beautiful melodies, bouncing around the walls, reverberating in her ears. Only once before had she heard such strong and passionate whistles, and that was the one time she had caught Aang whistling, by himself in the early morning. When she asked him why he did not whistle around the others he told her that it reminded him too much of his people. Katara was surprised that she had found another who could contend, if not surpass Aang's own musical talents. He would whistle for hours, not stopping or pausing for anything save a breath every now and again.

Katara had tried several times to speak with him, but every time he looked at her with those stoic blue eyes and kept on whistling, ignoring her questions. It had annoyed Katara at first, but later on she realized that if she had been starving for the past month she might not be in all that great of a mood to speak either, so she left him alone, instead resting and listening to his wonderful melodies.

Eventually the time came when Azula came back. Once her footsteps began to echo down the hall the figure stopped whistling, his eyes becoming sullen and weak. Katara looked at him befuddled. It seemed as if all the strength that he had been accumulating over the past several day shad vanished all at once. He was the weak, tired skeleton of a man that he was the first time Katara had seen him.

The cell door opened, this time on noiseless hinges. Azula did not even notice. She looked once at Katara then nodded her head at the guards, marching of down the hall. The guards came in, once again cuffing Katara. Katara began to panic, fear passing through her mind as she thought of all the things they were going to do to her. She did not want to go back to that place, she never even wanted to think about it again. The figure across from her let out a low, three note melody. She looked at him, fear jumping from her eyes. He gave her a reassuring nod, his strength and vigor returned. Katara did not know why but she was comforted by that. She arose with the guards, going down the hallway without incident.

She WAS taken back to the room, this time being brought to the center which had been cleared out. The guards attach her cuffs to a chain from the ceiling, then they walk away, leaving her alone with Azula. Azula stalks around her for a few moments, something obviously bothering her.

"Your friends have as yet to show their faces." She says. Katara grins; good, they had figured out that it was a trap and avoided the village. That means they were probably devising some scheme to break her out at this very minute. Azula struck her across the face.

"Don't look so pleased. You will never escape from here. Besides, every second the avatar eludes me is another second my ire rises." Katara spat out a mouthful of blood. Azula raises a disgusted eyebrow, appalled.

"Truly you were never taught manners." She said, walking over to a winch. She starts to turn it, raising Katara off the ground. Katara grunts as the pull on her wrists becomes more severe, but the pain is not too bad. When Azula finally stops she is roughly ten feet off the ground, half the distance of the vaulted ceiling above. Azula then drags a large metal pipe in place directly beneath her. Katara looks at it confused. It stands on metal support rods, roughly three feet off the ground. Azula then throws coals into the pipe, which is about six inches in diameter, filling it to the brim and packing it tight. She then lights the coals on fire with a snap of her fingers, the heat immediately apparent. Katara swallows hard; it was time for heat therapy.

Azula walked back over to the winch, dusting off the coal powder that had gotten on her hands. She looks up at Katara, a weary look on her face.

"Well now, I guess we get to the fun part hmm?" She says. Katara looks at her, then the burning pipe beneath her. Already she can feel the heat rising, even though she is seven feet above it. The pipe is slowly turning red as the coals within it heats up more and more. Azula sighs.

"Just to let you know, I have never asked you about the avatar because I know that there is no way you would break over him in time. I would merely be wasting my time. I know how loyal you are, so I will not pretend to try and force information out of you about him." Katara grounded her teeth. If she was not going to torture her because of Aang why was she doing this? For the fun of it?! Azula fingered the winch gingerly, looking back up at Katara.

"My father is not pleased with me. I have had three opportunities so far to capture the avatar, and have failed every time. He told me in his last letter that I was becoming like Zuko, a disgrace to the family" She spoke this with bitterness in her voice, obviously hurt. Katara had a tough time feeling sorry for her though, with the burning pipe below her and all. Azula looked back up at her.

"I have to capture the avatar, and since he has avoided the village the only place he'll come next is here, for you." She said. Katara already knew that they were coming for her, there was no way they were going to leave her there to rot. The only problem was that any plan they hash out is going to be so ridiculous that they were liable to get themselves captured. Azula probably knew this as well, thus explaining why she was in here with Katara. When the others did show up, they would come for her, and Azula would be waiting for them.

Azula sighed.

"So, now all we have to do is pass the time until they show up. So, how about we play word for word. You tell me something and I'll tell you something."

"About what?" Asked Katara, sweat beginning to drip down her face. Azula thought about it for a moment, pulling up a chair and sitting down. Katara noticed that it was the electric chair she had been strapped in a few days ago.

"How about this, you tell me something about the avatar, and I'll tell you something about your cellmate?" Katara froze, she did want to know about her cellmate, and besides, there were plenty of things she could tell Azula that would be no harm, right? Katara nodded her head, her wrist getting slick with perspiration.

"Very well, what shall we exchange first?" Asked Azula, turning the winch. Katara dropped about five inches, the heat rolling up to her, making her feet tingle with its warmth. She thought for a moment.

"Name?" She said. Azula shrugged.

"Sure." She said, waiting for Katara to go.

"Aang." She said.

"Jack." Responds Azula. Katara looks down at her. Azula laughs.

"Ya, I know, it's a strange name, but I swear that it is his." She moves the winch again, dropping her another five inches. This time she can feel the burning begin in her feet. She starts to shift about, trying not to get caught up in the pain.

"Age?" Azula nods her head, waiting for Katara again.

"Technically he's one-hundred and twelve, but really, he's twelve." Says Katara.

"Sixteen." She says. Katara looks at her again, shocked. Azula smacks her head.

"Whoops sorry, that's not right. He's seventeen, just had his birthday a few days ago." Katara thought about it. Seventeen? That man in her cell was only seventeen? Sure he had been starving, but he looked as if he was ancient, over a hundred years old. She had guessed that if he was well fed he might be in his late forties or fifties, but seventeen? The more Katara learned about this person the more confusing he became. Katara felt the chains give out, lowering her within three inches of the pipe. She began to shake with the pain. Sweat was pouring off of her in waves. The heat was unbearable, and she did not know how much longer she could last.

"Nation?" Says Katara, trying to distract her mind with anything. Azula thinks about if for a second.

"Well, I already know what the avatar is but, heck, why not." She says. Again Katara is supposed to go first.

"Air nomad." She blurts out, the heat crawling through her body and slowly cooking her alive.

Azula opens her mouth to speak but she's interrupted by the door swinging open. Ty-Lee stands in the doorway, excitement on her face. Azula whips around, annoyance on her face.

"Ty-Lee, you know I don't like to be disturbed when with a prisoner!" Ty-Lee ignores the rebuke and smiles broadly.

"Forget about her Azula, we got the avatar." Katara's heart freezes. They had Aang? Azula looked just as confused.

"The avatar?" She says. Ty-Lee nods her head.

"Ya, at the front gate, come on!" She says, waving her over. Azula immediately strides out of the room, leaving Katara to hang directly above the pipe. Ty-Lee stops, turning back to come over to Katara. She looks at her with a malevolent glare. Katara can see that the cut on her cheek had gotten infected, puffing up. Katara smiled. Good, she was always too pretty.

Ty-Lee walked over to the winch, looking at Katara once, then kicking it. It spun loudly as it released its slack. It caught, just before Katara had landed on the pipe, leaving her to hold her legs right above it, the heat unbearable. Ty-Lee nods, then leaves the room, leaving Katara to slowly roast alive.


	4. Plans, Sokka style

**Chapter IV**

This plan was stupid, plain and simple. She had hated it when he had first told them, she had hated it when they he walked all the way over to the prison, she had hated it last night when she had sent him flying over the wall, and she hated it now, standing in front of the gate with Aang unconscious at her feet. This was so stupid.

Toph shook her head, trying to keep the black hood from falling back, revealing her milky green eyes, a dead giveaway to be sure. She could feel her long black hair falling down her back and shoulders, a smooth silky texture. Her lips seemed heavier and waxy with the application of the lipstick, and she was pretty certain she would never regain her earthbender smell, not after all the perfume he had dumped on her. She wobbled unsurely on thick, black leather boots. Her body felt uncomfortable in the mix of tight leather and flashing gems, weapons dangling by her side. She would not have been able to see anything if Aang had not suggested she carry a staff made of earth, thus allowing her to transmit the surrounding vibrations up the staff and to her hand, giving her at least a glimpse of what was going on. Toph shook her head, this was sooooooo stupid.

Sokka's hair brain scheme was as followed. Step one, apprehend supplies while on the way to the high security prison in order to disguise Toph. Step two, when at the high security prison scout out the surrounding area, finding the best part to enter at. Step three, transform Toph into a tough bounty hunter in order to play the part of Aang's capturer. Step four, the night before the plan was to begin in full swing Sokka was to be launched on top of one of the guard towers with the help of Toph's Earthbending. Step five, Toph was to create a distraction at the front gate, thus allowing Sokka to release all the prisoners. Step six, Sokka grabs Katara and they all escape in the confusion. It seemed like a pretty good plan at first, but the more Toph learned about it the more she hated it.

First off, they were not allowed to take Appa, Sokka said he would be too visible and would give them away, so they had left him behind, making the journey from a couple hour flight to a two day trek. Second, when Sokka had said he was going to make her look like a bounty hunter she assumed he was going to make her look like some tough renegade earthbender with an attitude. However, that was not Sokka's intention. Instead he transformed her into a drop dead sexy, earthbender with an attitude who could kick butt while looking good doing it. Toph did not like this. She did not want to be pretty, sexy, or drop dead gorgeous. She wanted to be her normal, gruff, and dirty self, but Sokka insisted, so she consented, allowing him to transform her.

It had taken three days of grueling make overs as Sokka painstakingly went over every inch of her exposed body, letting her only keep her undergarments on as he scrubbed, cleaned, tweezed, and painted her. By the time he was done her hairy ivory skin had been replaced with a smooth olive complexion. Her coats of dust were hosed away and replaced with a cloud of perfume, accompanied by layers of makeup to her face. Well, perhaps not layers, Sokka had merely added the blood red lipstick and the olive skin complexion, but it still felt foreign to her face. The worst part was when he did her hair. Six hours of scrubbing, pulling, yanking, and brushing, over and over and over again. She had tossed and turned and raged in furry, but Sokka kept at it, telling her if she did not behave he'd put her over his knee and get her to shut up. Toph did not doubt him as Sokka was in an extremely vitriolic mood and capable of doing most anything he deemed necessary to get his sister back, so she kept her mouth shut and behaved for the rest of the makeover. When he was done with her hair it was a river of silk cascading over her shoulders. Her eyebrows he made thin and slender, her body a radiating glow of health, smooth and alluring. He then adorned her in her current regalia, which caused further annoyance as the clothes were tight fitting and much different from her normal loose earthbender outfit, but having Sokka's knee as a looming threat Toph decided not complain, too much.

By the time Sokka was through with her she looked nothing like herself, or at least she assumed she did not. She felt totally different, smooth and shining, like a new born baby. Twinkle-toes had caught his breath when he finally saw her, eliciting a punch to the gut that really made him catch his breath, but even Sokka seemed a bit startled at his work. His heart spiked and Toph could tell he was staring at her with a newfound look, a look that said that she was no longer just a girl, though she was only thirteen, but actually a woman, a creature of beauty and radiance. Sokka came up to her, brushing back a strand of her hair. It was a good thing that her cheeks were covered in makeup because she was glowing beneath it, reveling in his touch. He then clasped the black cloak about her shoulders, casting it down over her eyes, the one part of her he could not alter. Where and how Sokka had learned to alter somebody like he did to Toph was a mystery, but he was good at it. Perhaps after the war was over he could be a stylist, he would have plenty of costumers.

The last step was to put on the boots, something Toph fought for a long time, but Sokka kept telling her that Azula was liable to put two and two together and figure out who she was if she saw her bare feet along with the avatar. She was a lot smarter than the rest of them, he said, a stinging remark that brought Toph to the verge of tears. The transformation had been long and taxing, the proximity to Sokka not helping her with her thoughts about him. To cover her emotional instability she agreed to wear the dumb shoes and threw them on. It was a little while later that Aang suggested that she use an earthen staff. Sokka agreed to it as long as it looked like a weapon. It did.

The night before Toph's planned escapade before the front gates her and Sokka snuck up to the walls, slinking around until they reached the guard tower they had decided on. Toph, minus the boots, then lifted Sokka up, slowly so as not to attract any attention. When at the right height Sokka jumped off, landing on the guard tower that was only a few feet away. Toph felt a pang of fear pass through her as Sokka went beyond her sight. Even though he had been crushing her spirit lately she still cared for him, and his heart had been getting worse, causing him more pain and faltering longer and more frequently. She really hoped this would work, that way she could tell Katara to go check him out.

Now Toph stood before the front gates, Aang bound with earthen shackles and unconscious, something Sokka had argued for vehemently. Toph could not remember his reasoning for actually knocking Aang out but he had insisted on it so much that they finally both just agreed. He had knocked him out using some sort of herbal concoction that he had whipped up. Aang had looked at it suspiciously but when Sokka reminded him that it was for Katara he downed the contents of his cup without a second thought. He had fallen asleep one minute later, and it took whole hour for him to wake up, which meant that if she ran into trouble at the front gate she would have to stall for a whole hour before Aang could lend any assistance. Sokka had left them another batch of it for him to take right before Toph dragged him to the front gates. Now he lay sound asleep at her feet, seeming like all the world to be a bounty. hunter's prisoner.

Toph breathed out slowly. Talking had never been her strong suit, unless it consisted of disparaging remarks or sarcastic comments. Luckily Sokka had told her to be as cocky and condescending as possible, meeting whatever decorum Azula shows with absolute contempt and snobbishness. He had even said to use Aang's life as a bargaining tool if necessary, something that terrified Toph. If Sokka was willing to sacrifice Aang to retrieve his sister did that make her expendable too? Sokka had assured her that he did not mean to actually put Aang's life in jeopardy, but she could not help feeling that if the situation arose where he would have to choose between them and his sister that he would choose the later without hesitation.

The clanging of the gates disrupted Toph's thoughts, bringing her back to the present. She held the staff tightly, the point sharpened like a blade. She could make out the heavy tread of normal fire-nation soldiers followed by two delicate sets of feet. Toph tapped her staff on the ground, getting a better image. Sure enough it was Azula, along with one of her cronies, where the last one was Toph did not know, hopefully she was not sneaking around behind her. They were close now, only ten feet away or so; she could feel their heart beats, the soldiers were steady, Azula's was a bit faster than usual, but the one next to her was bouncing off the walls with excitement; it was the giddy one, that meant that knife girl was slinking around somewhere. Toph cracked her neck, something she did out of habit. She waited, letting Azula make the first move, just like Sokka had instructed her.

There was a tentative breath, then Azula started, her voice obviously a bit perplexed.

"Well, this is something." She said. Toph remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

"Capture the avatar now did we?" She said. Toph thought it would be appropriate to look her in the eyes at this moment, but she knew that it was ill advised, so she tilted her head, cocking it at her.

"What do you mean we sugar lips?" Said Toph, spitting on the ground next to her. "I did all the work here, not that there was much to do, him being a kid and all." Easy Toph, easy, don't lay it on too thick. Azula smiled, trying to cover her irritation.

"Yes, well, still, capturing the avatar is no small feat." She said. Toph shrugged her shoulders.

"Work is work, no matter who you're hunting, as long as it pays I don't complain." Said Toph. Azula nodded her head.

"I see, so you would be wanting to collect the reward then I would assume?" Toph spat again for good effect.

"That'd be right sugar lips, I hear you're offering up quite a price for baldy here." She said, tapping Aang's head with her boot. Azula frowned.

"Yes, of course. I do believe that the price is fifty thousand." She says. Toph laughed, making sure to keep her hood down over her eyes.

"Please, honey, don't insult me. I didn't bring the avatar to you wrapped with a bow on top for a measly fifty thousand. I want half a million, unconditional." The guards around her gasped, and even Azula seemed put out of sorts.

"Fifty thousand was the advertised price." Said Azula.

"Well it didn't say anything about it being non-negotiable. I want half a million, no less." Azula took a step forward.

"I do not believe that you're in much of a bargaining position here my friend. I suggest taking the fifty thousand and leaving while my temper is still mellow." Toph swallowed hard. She had no idea how long it was going to take for Sokka to release the prisoners, for all she knew he had been captured and now she was playing time for nothing. Toph shook herself. No, she could not think like that, she had to believe that Sokka was still in action, so she had to keep playing for time. Thinking quickly she flipped the staff in her hand over, pressing the blade against Aang's neck.

"Hold it there sugar lips, unless you want to haggle over a corpse." She said. Azula pulled up, the guards shifting to defensive stances.

"And why would I want a dead avatar?" She asked Toph, raising her hands up, a gesture that Toph would not be able to see even if the hood was not blocking her line of sight.

"That's just it, you don't want a dead avatar, so I suggest that you take a couple of steps back before something bad happens to baldy here." Azula consents and relinquishes some ground.

"Why would I want him alive though? It doesn't make any sense, he's my biggest threat, if you were to kill him now you would merely being doing me a favor." She said. Toph thanked her stars that she had been paying attention to Sokka when he had explained using Aang's life as leverage.

"Because you don't want the avatar dead, he'll just come back in another life, thus becoming a future threat for the fire nation. No, you want him locked up, somewhere where you can try and bait him into an avatar state so you can kill him, forever." The only sign of Azula's surprise was her slight increase in heart rate, other than that she seemed perfectly calm.

"Well, you may have a point there, maybe if you were to come inside with your catch we can further discuss you pay." Toph laughs again.

"Ya right sweet cheeks, I think I'll stay out here, away from that metal box deathtrap of yours, there's a lot of earth I can bend right here." She said, calling up a pillar to lean her elbow on, moving her weapon away from Aang's neck.

That's when Toph realized she had made a mistake. Azula had not expected her to actually come inside, she had just wanted Toph to show off her bending, thus moving her weapon away from Aang's throat. Before she could even move she felt something collide into her chest, several something's. She fell back with a grunt, hitting the ground with several knives embedded in the leather armor. Thankfully none had got all the way through. Toph jumped back to her feet, raising up and Earthbending wall and shooting it in Azula's general direction. Wherever her last crony was she had had a clear shot at her. Toph made another wall, hiding behind it. She could hear the commotion that had erupted after her first wall had crashed into them. Toph did not doubt that Azula and Chippy there were alright, they would not have been so easily caught off guard. She knew she could not fight them all off, so the only thing to do was to threaten Aang's life once more. She quickly made new staff, as she had dropped the other one after receiving those knives to the chest. Silently she thanked Sokka for making her wear the outfit, as it no doubt had saved her life. Toph went over to Aang, placing her boot on his head and pressing the blade against his flesh once more. The sound of feet pulling up signaled that she had stopped Azula and Chippy before they had had the chance to close the distance. Toph turned her head to them, a smug smile on her face.

"Thought you could get him from me without paying now did ya?" She asked. Azula hissed underneath her breath, then stopped. Toph could tell that she was staring at her closely.

"Wait a minute." She growled. Toph panicked as she realized that in all the commotion her hood had fallen and she had not bothered casting it back over her face, thus allowing Azula to see her milky green eyes.

"You're no bounty hunter, you're one of the avatar's companions!" She said, going back into her run. Toph knew the gig was up. She turned and kicked out, shooting both rock and a boot towards her attackers. Azula broke the flying debris with a ring of fire, while her crony merely jumped over them. Toph launched another attack, dispensing of the other boot at the same time. She then scooped up Aang and started making a dash for the tree line. She brought an earth wall behind her as Azula shot a fireball at her. It crashed into it, shattering the wall. Toph desperately wished Aang was awake at the moment, but she had no clue as to when he was going to be back in the world of the living, so she kept running.

She could feel the soft footfalls of the other girl coming up behind her quickly, so Toph turned around, moving her hands with a rigid gesture she simultaneously shot a pillar at the girl behind her while also launching herself along with Aang off of another one. As she came close to the ground she crossed her wrists, calling up a slide that deposited them safely on the ground, well, almost. When she landed, Aang still on her back, she rolled, throwing Aang away from her. Unfortunately for Toph she had not bothered taking out the knives that were lodged in her armor. As her weight came down on them they sunk in just a bit deeper, not enough to do any serious herm but enough to penetrate skin and cause some very disturbing pain. She grunted as she got to her feet, blood trickling slowly down her chest. She yanked the knives out of her armor, unwilling for another such event to occur. She stumbled over to where Aang was and grabbed him, turning to run into the brush. Just as she was leaving a fireball exploded behind her, sending her off her feet. She landed with a thud, grunting at the pain. Aang landed a few feet away from her, still fast asleep. Toph got to her feet, facing Azula and the Chirpy one. Azula grinned, noting Toph's battered body.

"What were you hoping to accomplish, really? Were you going to negotiate your way in? Or were you hoping that after you gave me the avatar that I would give you a tour of the prison, perhaps show you where the prisoner release room was?" At this Azula froze, looking at Toph and Aang. One, two, there was one more though, wasn't there?

"Where's the water-tribe boy, the one who can't bend?!" She hissed. Toph grinned.

"I don't know what you're talking about. We're all benders on team avatar." Said Toph, feigning innocence. Azula turned back towards the prison, just in time to hear the prisoner release alarm sound. Ty-Lee went back, looking towards the prison.

"Azula, there's a brawl going on in there!" She cried, the racket from the prison easily reaching her ears. Azula turned back, finding that the earthbender as well as the avatar had disappeared. She ran into the woods after them, Ty-Lee following in hot pursuit, but there was no sign of them. Azula pulled up in frustration, she was being outsmarted! This never happened. Ty-Lee stood beside her.

"What are we going to do Azula?" She asked. Azula looked back over her shoulder to where the prison was.

"I know of one prisoner who wasn't released in that." She said, grinding her teeth. She quickly took off, making her way back towards the prison. Ty-Lee realized who she was talking about and ran after her.

After they left a sigh emanated from a little pile of rocks. Underneath them was a little cavern holding a blind earthbender and the avatar, for now, safe from harm.

**Moving over to Sokka**.

Sokka stood in the control room, two guards knocked out and the third one dead. He hadn't wanted to kill him, but he drew a knife on him after Sokka knocked the first two out, and when Sokka reacted, bringing his boomerang across to protect himself, it had slit the man's throat. Sokka now walked carefully around the pool of blood, making sure not to step in the hot, gooey, mess. He had then proceeded to press every button in there until he saw the cell doors opening, and, after taking a second to break the key in the lock behind him, he started off, making sure to avoid as many of the prisoners as possible. This was the one part of his plan that needed work. He now had to find his sister, who could be anywhere, he only hoped that these prisoners were ticked off enough to put up a rabid fight. They streamed past Sokka, ignoring him because he wore the blue of the water-tribe, instead they searched for fire-nation red, attacking any guards they could get their hands on. Some of the prisoners were firebending, but the others were just using whatever they could get their hands on; pipes, chairs, helmets, or even railings they tore out of the ground. It was complete chaos, exactly as Sokka had hoped.

He pushed his way towards the back, a new bout of pain starting in his side. He stopped to cough over the ledge, blood spitting out of his mouth. That was not good. The pain had been getting worst as the days went by, and now Sokka knew that there was something seriously wrong with him. When Katara had knocked him against that tree she had broken something more than a couple of ribs, perhaps one had punctured his lung. He did not know for sure, but it hurt to breath, and it felt as if half the time he was swimming, his lugs dragging as if full of liquid. He took a second more to wretch over the edge, then pulled himself too, walking down the hall with one hand on the railing. If he had to guess Katara was in one of their maximum security cells. He thought for a second as to where that would be and decided it was either up or down.

He decided on up. He kept making his way towards the staircase, the flood of inmates still swarming by him, not bothering with the teenage boy. Eventually, just as Sokka reached the stairwell, a rough hand grabbed his shoulder. He swung around, boomerang at the ready.

"Easy there kid, you're going the wrong way." Sokka looked at the man in front of him. He was old and haggard, wispy grey hair falling down to his shoulders. His green eyes marked him as an earthbender. His body, while broad, was stretched to its limits, skin clinging tightly to its place from many hungry nights. A concerned look shone in the man's eyes and Sokka realized that this inmate thought he was a prisoner who was going the wrong way. He was touched that he would take the time from his own escape attempt to help him, but he did not need it, and standing there jeopardized both of their chances.

"I'm trying to break someone out. Do you know where the maximum security cells are?" He asked. The old man's eyes lit up.

"You're the one who let us out, didn't ya?" Sokka nodded his head. The man put a hand on his shoulder.

"Go down those stairs, five flights, watch out for the guard room on the left. You'll need the keys from it though if you want to get your friend out." And with that the figure turned and made his way along with the crowd, surging forward to make his escape. Sokka turned back to the stairs and flew down them, taking the man's directions and getting off five flights down. He came up to the guard room, peering in. Empty.

They must be panicking, wondering what in the world was going on. Guess they weren't as top notch as Toph had said. Ohh well, Sokka did not care, it was just a plus for him. He went into the room, looked on the wall and sure enough, there they were. He nabbed the keys, taking off down the hall. He started to call her name, the pain in his lungs increasing to a scream in his head. He stopped for a second, trying to regain his breath. Prisoners reached out from their cells, crying out to him to let them out. Sokka's heart began to break. He wanted to help all of these people, criminal or no. Any person who was an enemy to the fire nation was a friend of his, but he did not have the time, this was about Katara, perhaps on the way back.

He kept running down the hall, ignoring the inmates cries of protest. He rounded a corner and saw a cell door ajar. He snuck over, looking in to see if there was a guard. Nothing. Just two empty sets of chains. Sokka started back into the hall, calling out his sister's name. As he stepped out from the cell a bony hand shot out, grabbing Sokka's shoulder. Sokka whipped around, having been grabbed twice already when he was not expecting it. He looked at the figure before him, gaunt and hallow, yet there was a feeling about him, as if there was still steel beneath the fragile exterior. Whatever Sokka's thoughts the man still surprised him.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" He asked, his boomerang raised. The figure held up his hands, showing him that he meant no harm.

"I want to help." He said, his voice raspy. Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"Help, how? You don't even know what I'm doing here." The figure nodded his head.

"You're looking for a water-tribe girl, about fifteen, brown hair and skin, sapphire eyes. She was my cellmate." Sokka looked at him, not believing his stroke of luck. He grabbed the man by both his shoulders, not realizing the pain he was causing him.

"Where is she?!" He asked, squeezing his bony shoulders. The figure brushed him back.

"This way." He said, his voice hoarse. He started off down the hall, walking as fast as he could. Sokka followed, wanting desperately to find his sister safe and sound. They made their way down the hall, reaching another stairwell. Sokka used his keys to unlock it, descending down the stairs with the figure. It was slow going, the man was obviously exhausted from the exertion of climbing the stairs, and Sokka could still barely catch his breath, the pain in his side an agonizing thud. Eventually they reached the bottom of the stairs, where another door stood. Sokka tried all the keys, but none worked. He started pounding on it with his boomerang when the figure motioned him out of the way. The man breathed in, then sliced his hand down across the hinges, a blur of white springing from where his hand passed. The door fell down to the ground with a clang, leaving them to push it out of the way.

Sokka stepped in the room, heat rolling towards him. He squinted through the heat, looking at the glowing pipe in the center of the room. Right above it he could see a dangling form, its legs barely spread so as not to touch the red hot pipe. Sokka ran up to the figure, quickly identifying it as his sister.

"Katara." He choked, looking at her languid body. Stripes lay across her back from where the whip had bitten into her flesh, bruises lay on her sides and ribs from where the compression suit had pressed against her. Her shoulders looked disjointed and out of place, her skin slick and bright with perspiration. Sokka could see burn marks on her leg from where she must have touched the pipe. Tears jumped into his eyes as he cranked the winch up. The other man grabbed her feet, making sure they did not come into contact with the pipe, which was still blazing hot. Once they had gotten her up to a safe distance Sokka grabbed two ropes from a table of bloody manacles. He tossed one to Katara's cellmate and took the other himself, throwing the rope around the legs of the pipe. Heat radiated out of it, making Sokka pour sweat. He looked at the other guy, his back already glistening from being in such close proximity to it. Between the two of them they manage to drag the pipe away from Katara, leaving it next to a back door. Sokka walked underneath her, heat rising up from the stones beneath his feet. The soles in his boots began to melt as he waited for the other man to lower her into his arms. Pain scorched through his boots as his feet began to burn. He ground his teeth and grabbed Katara, unhooking her from the hook. Her body was limp in his arms, fragile, like a china doll. Sokka almost started crying as he remembered that he was ready to condemn her to this. She may have brought it down on herself, but it was his responsibility to protect her, and he had failed.

"I'm so sorry sis." He said, kissing her. He started walking towards the stairwell, hugging her tight, when he heard the sound of feet crashing down towards them. They had company.


	5. Secrets and escapes

**Chapter V**

Sokka did not know what to do. Whoever was coming down those stairs had an advantage. Katara's cellmate was already exhausted, Sokka could see as his pupils bouncing around, trying to focus. Sokka himself was in extreme pain, his side had went from agonizing to indelible. His lungs were on fire, and his hands shook. He was in no condition to fight off somebody, and by the sound of the wheezing next to him neither was the other guy. Sokka looked at the stairs, waiting for the guards to emerge. He hugged his sister tight to his chest, a single salty tear streaking down his face and on to hers.

"I'm sorry sis, I failed." The figure next to him looked at him, compassion sparking in his eyes. He moved over and hid to the side of the door while Sokka sat hugging his sister.

The sound of feet came closer, and within a few more seconds Azula and Ty-Lee were entering the room. Azula pulled up, a smug look on her face.

"So, you thought that you could outsmart me snow-peasant?" She laughed, looking at the pitiful sight before her. Sokka opened his eyes, anger and rage burning deep within them. Azula stepped forward, probably to seize them both, but the sound of a body dropping to the ground behind her caught her attention.

Sokka watched in shock as Katara's cellmate first took out Ty-Lee with a pressure point in the neck, then attacked Azula. Azula turned, her eyes spreading wide as she realized what was happening. She swung her fist around, blue tendrils of fire leaping from her fingers. She pulled up as the figure heeled her in the gut with his palm. She grunted as searing pain coursed through her body. As the man pulled away his hand blood fell to the ground, mixing with a pile of ash. Sokka raised a perplexed eyebrow. Had he just stabbed Azula?

Azula fell to the ground, holding her wound. She looked up at the figure, not with rage, or anger, but rather with a look of betrayal. Blood seeped through her fingers as she tried to put pressure on the wound. Sokka realized that their opposition had just been taken out, and now they were free to go. He was about to step forward when a thought hit him.

He set Katara down, walking back over to the burning pipe. He stuck his boomerang in it, waiting until the metal had become red hot, which did not take long. He went back over to Azula, who lay moaning on the ground. He put a knee down on one of her arms, then pushed the other out and did likewise, pinning her to the ground. She tried to thrash but the injury had weakened her, but just for good measure Sokka punched her, giving her what would no doubt later be a nice black eye. He then showed her the boomerang, flicking it around at her face. She did not flinch or cringe, knowing what was about to come. He took the boomerang, pressing hard against her exposed flesh. She thrashed and screamed as her skin melted and blood boiled, but when it was all said and done, her wound was closed, and she was in no danger of dying. Sokka stood up, walking back over to Katara and lifting her up. He walked past Azula, going up the stairs with her cellmate following close behind.

Everything in Sokka had been screaming for him to kill Azula, to take her life and make her pay for laying a finger on Katara, but rather Sokka had saved her life. Sure he had caused her a great deal of pain, but it was nothing compared to what she had done to Katara. There was just something inside him though, something that would not let him kill her. Perhaps if Katara was dead he would have been able to do it, but she was not, she was clutched safely in his arms, so Sokka had spared her, knowing that in the future Azula would not be so kind as to return the favor.

The three made their way as quickly as they could up the stairs, taking stops for breathers constantly. By the time they had went five flights up Sokka could not climb another step, thankfully this was when Katara's cellmate decided to exit the stairwell. He opened the door, stepping through it. Sokka stepped through, letting the man close it and lock it, breaking the key in the lock. Sokka turned around, looking down the dimly lit hallway. There was something ominous about this floor. They walked down the hall for a bit, their steps and ragged breath the only sound echoing in their ears. Eventually they could not go any further without rest, so they stopped. Sokka set Katara down, sliding down beside her. He took her head in his lap, stroking her face gently. The man slid down the wall opposite Sokka, his body straining for breath. They sat in silence for a while, laboring to recover themselves. Sokka thought back to the room, how the man had taken out both Ty-Lee and Azula before they had realized what was going on. He did not know why this man was locked up but he was obviously a threat to the fire-nation, so he was happy to have him on his side.

"What's your name?" Asked Sokka, a drop of blood dripping down his lips. The man had his eyes closed resting.

"Jack." He said, his eyes remaining shut. Sokka nodded his head slowly. Jack, well then, he did not have to refer to him as the man, or Katara's cellmate anymore, but it was a strange name.

"Jack? Is it a family name or something?" Asked Sokka, perplexed. The man just shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't know, I just know it's my name." He said, looking down the hall. Sokka decided to leave it at that. He looked around him, wondering where exactly they were compared to the front gates.

"Where are we?" He asked. Jack looked down the hall the other way.

"I don't know exactly." He said. Sokka refrained from grinding his teeth, knowing that being here was better than being with those two nuts. Besides, they were safe at the moment, even if it did feel as if his side was going to split.

"How do we get out?" He asked. Jack closed his eye again, resting his head against the wall.

"Sewage pipes." He said, his voice faltering. Sokka almost wanted to choke.

"Sewage pipes?" He said. The figure nodded weakly.

"Yup, we're next to the ocean. This prison sits on a cliff looking over the sea, so if we ride the sewage pipes we should be able to come out into the calm bay circled by the cliff." Sokka nodded his head. It made sense. He remembered the cliff, but he had thought it unimportant as he planned his entrance and exit. He had just planned on going out the front gates during the confusion.

"What's wrong with the front gates?" He asked. Jack chuckled, his slim frame shacking.

"Do you hear the alarms still sounding off?" He asked. Sokka paused, listening to the silence. He shook his head.

"Exactly, whatever pandemonium you had created is over by now. The guards are probably mopping up whatever's left of the escaped prisoners." Sokka was shocked at the thought.

"You really think that all those prisoners had been stopped?" He asked, remembering their rage and fury. Jack nodded his head.

"Ya, without any earth the earthbenders don't stand much of a chance, and there's not enough firebenders to really cause any harm. Perhaps if you had manage to release the ones in the maximum security wings they could have stood a chance, but against that unit of firebenders only five minutes away, naw, they never stood a chance." Sokka thought about the old man who had helped him, a pang of sorrow sweeping through him.

"What will they do to the prisoners?" He asked. Jack shrugged his shoulders again.

"Really can't say, it all depends on what mood Azula's in, and after what we pulled, I don't think she'll be in a sparing mood." He said.

"What exactly did we pull back there?" Asked Sokka, remembering the flashes of white, the mysterious stab wound, the pile of ash. Jack looked at him, his eyes narrowed.

"We pulled off an escape attempt." He said. Sokka looked at him.

"Ya, we did." He said, mulling over the events down in the torture room.

"So what was the deal with all the fancy white stuff?" He asked. Jack paused for a moment, thinking. Right as he was about to speak the sound of someone banging on the door echoed down the hall. Sokka and Jack jumped to their feet as they recognized the voice.

"Open it, quickly, I know they went this way!" Azula. Jack clicked his tongue.

"Man that girl never gives up." He said. Sokka nodded his head.

"I guess you would know more than me." He replied. Jack merely turned and started down the hall, waving to Sokka.

"Come on Sokka." He said. Sokka grabbed Katara, hoisting her back into his arms. He could have carried her over his shoulder, but he did not know if he could move her up there without breaking his fragile ribcage, plus in her state he much rather be able to see her face, so he held her in his arms, marching down the hall.

"How do you know my name?" Asked Sokka as he caught up.

"She mumbles in her sleep, I figured you'd either have to be Aang or Sokka, so I decided to go with the more water-tribe sounding of the two." Sokka wanted to laugh, he did not realize Katara mumbled in her sleep.

They made their way down the hall, turning here and there. The sound of boots running behind them invigorated them, but their pace was still slow. It seemed that at any moment they were going to be caught. It would be all over. Surely this time Azula had come with a whole entourage of ticked off firebenders who were just looking for an excuse to singe his behind, and since he was the one who had started the riot in the first place it was very likely that they would burn his butt.

Just as the guards reached the corner right behind them Jack opened a door labeled maintenance. Sokka went in, following Jack into the small, noisy room, the door clanging shut behind them. He went over to a large pipe, twisting it open and popped the top off. The smell that came up to meet them was more oniony then rank. Sokka raised a perplexed eyebrow.

"I thought that the sewage line would smell more like… well sewage." He said. Jack motioned him over.

"Ya, well this is actually the kitchen scrap line, so be thankful it's not sewage. It will do the same job as the other one." He said, holding Katara as Sokka hopped down. Water and bits of food flowed by him as he stood in the pipe. He reached up, grabbing Katara from Jack, who almost fell over handing her down. After that Jack hopped down and joined him, leading the way down the pipe. The going was even more difficult than the stairs as they fought to keep the balance, the water tugging at them. Finally Jack had had enough. He grunted and started to bend the water out of the way, giving them a clear path.

"Hey, you're a waterbender!" Cried Sokka, his surprise overcoming his good sense. Jack merely grunted, the effort of bending the water obviously taxing him. They kept moving until they reach a fork in the pipe. Jack let himself rest, withholding from bending at the moment. Sokka looked down both paths, his arms burning from holding Katara.

"Which way?" He asked, perspiration licking at his brow. Jack shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't know, never actually been down here." He said, breathing heavily. Sokka stepped up to the one on the left, sniffing at it. He then went to the one on the right, sniffing that one.

"This one here smells a bit salty." He said. Jack stood up.

"Good enough for me." He said, waving Sokka on. Sokka trudged his way through, stopping as a crackling sound emanated from behind him. He turned to see Jack making an ice wall back down the path they had come from. Immediately the water flow lessened, allowing them to walk easier.

"We need to keep up a good pace, that wall won't hold forever, and when it breaks there's going to be a wall of water following it." Sokka nodded his head, picking up his pace the best he could. They walked on, the smell of salt becoming stronger with every step. Sokka smiled, he had chosen the right path. Eventually light started to shine before them, daylight, not the maintenance lights overhead. The three stumbled forward, making their way as quickly as they could. They reached the lip of the pipe, now merely trickling water. A blast of cool air hit them, bringing with it the smells of the sea. Sokka took in a big breath, revitalized by the aura. Jack smiled, blinking in the light.

"The sun, it's been so long." He said, staring out into the sky. Sokka looked at Katara, still unconscious in his arms.

"Don't worry sis, we're almost out of here." He said, giving her a light kiss. Jack strode up to the edge.

"Well, this will be difficult." He said. Sokka walked up to him, looking down. He saw what he meant. They were five hundred feet up, with a pointed rocks and crashing waves below them. Sokka turned to him.

"I thought you said that this led to a calm inlet?" Jack laughed.

"Ya, the sewage pipe did. This, well, I would say that this is not a calm inlet. We must have come out on the eastern side. We wanted the northern section." He said. Sokka would have smacked his forehead, but he was holding Katara, so he stuck to rolling his eyes. A loud rumbling sound from behind them made them focus. The water had broken through his ice wall, and now they were all going to be swept out and down to a pointy death.

"Quick, try to make another ice wall!" Cried Sokka, but instead Jack went to the wall. With a rigid motion of his wrists the earth on the side of the cliff jutted out. Sokka's mouth dropped.

"Wa…. Wait….. what?! I thought you were a waterbender!" Jack came over to him, pushing him forward.

"Plenty of time later, none right now." He said, pushing him out onto the ledge he had just created. They hurried over to the side, just in time as a wall of water and food shot out of the pipe. There was no way an ice wall would have held up against it, it would have shattered and condemned them all to death. Sokka slumped down, Katara still in his arms.

"I don't understand." He said.

"Nor will you until I explain everything, but not here, not now. We need to get away, Azula's going to start searching outside the prison pretty soon." He said. Sokka nodded his head. He was beginning to understand Jack. Someone who could bend two elements, while not the avatar, still posed a big threat to the fire-nation. No wonder they had him locked up.

Sokka tried standing up, but he was so exhausted that he fell back over, sitting on his butt. He breathed heavily, unaware that Katara was beginning to stir in his arms. She opened her eyes, looking up weakly.

"Sokka?" She murmured, her lips cracked. She lifted up a hand, gently brushing his cheek. Sokka looked down, tears springing into his eyes.

"Hey sis." He said, grabbing her hand. She began to sit up, dizzy, but not too weak.

"What happened?" She asked, her voice hoarse. Sokka moved, helping to sit her up against the wall.

"We came and got you." He said. Katara looked around, expecting to find the others.

"But it's just you." She said. Sokka sat down next to her.

"The others are waiting for us, I was just the one who was going in to nab you real quick." He said, giving her a playful punch on the shoulder. She winced at the contact.

"Sorry sis." He said. She nodded her head.

"It's okay Sokka." She mumbled, leaning her head back against the cliff wall. She looked over at Jack.

"Jack." She said, perplexed. He smiled at her, his blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

"Hey Katara, how are you feeling?" He asked.

"Fine, how'd you get out?" He asked. Jack looked over his shoulder, as if expecting to see Azula flying at them.

"Story for another time, for now let's get out of here." He began to reach up, dragging his wrists back down. With each pull he moved the block they were on up, towards the top of the cliff. It was arduous work, and he had to take several breaks, but eventually they made it to the top. Sokka poked his head up, noticing the brush about a hundred yards away from where they were. There were no guards about. It was quiet, almost too quiet. Sokka looked about, not pleased with the situation.

"Something's not right here." He said, turning back to the others. Jack came up, taking a look around.

"You're right, there's no one about. It's a trap." He said, hoisting himself up. Sokka grabbed his leg.

"Wait! I thought you said that it was a trap?" Jack smiled at him.

"Ya, that's why we have to charge straight through it." He said. Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"That's your best plan?" Jack nodded his head. Sokka sighed. They could wait for nightfall, but there was no guarantee that they would not be spotted by then. He felt like Jack was just making up as he was going along, which, for the most part, he was. He turned back to Katara, squatting down next to her.

"You think you can make a run?" He asked. Katara nodded her head, standing up on wobbly feet. Sokka helped her balance until she felt okay enough to move on her own.

"Alright, let's do this." She said. Jack dug in his pocket, tossing something at her. She caught it; it was her mother's necklace. She looked up at him, shocked.

"How'd you get this?" She asked. Jack smiled, holding up a helpful hand.

"Story for another time." He said, helping first Katara, then Sokka up.

"Is that your answer for everything?" Asked Sokka. Jack gave him a sly smile.

"Perhaps." Sokka threw his hands up, they would never get answers from this guy. He turned himself to the problem at hand, getting across the hundred yard stretch to the tree line. They were all weary, Jack probably in the worst condition. Sokka could feel numbness begin to creep up his side, something he found more terrifying than the pain. If they did not move soon they were going to have to drag Sokka all the way across. He bit his cheek, drawing blood. The pain cleared his head a bit, allowing him to focus once again on the run. He crouched down with the others, tensing himself. He waited, breathing deeply. He would wait for Jack to call it.

"Ready?" Asked Jack. The other two nodded. He gave one last peak around, trying to figure out where exactly the guards were. He gave up and took in a deep breath, ready for one last mad dash to safety.

"Go!" He said, waiting for half a second to pass before he ran up behind them, guarding their backs. Katara and Sokka ran as fast as they could, Katara gaining the most ground. Her body was still in relatively good shape, and the surge of adrenaline that now coursed through her aided her speed. Sokka was pained but seeing the home-stretch he threw in all he had left, running as fast as he could. Jack followed behind, slowly losing ground as his lungs gave out; he had recovered as much as he could over the last few days, but all the activity was too much for him, and now it was taking its toll. Just as they had expected guards began pouring out after them as soon as they came into view. They were a bit further down, obviously not expecting them to come from the cliff, but they were gaining quickly. Katara had just reached the brush, followed closely by her brother, when they heard the dull thunk. Jack fell to the ground with a cry, a knife embedded in his side. He began to crawl forward, blood pooling beneath him. Sokka and Katara went back for him, seeing Mai at the front of the pack, bringing another knife around. Sokka braced himself to cover Katara, but a wall of earth appeared in front of them, blocking the twirling blade.

"Come on guys, get a move on!" Sokka hurried over, grabbing one of Jack's arms as Katara grabbed the other. They dragged him back towards the brush, Toph and Aang giving fire support with a barrage of boulders. Once they reached the tree line Toph made a giant earthen bowl around them, propelling it forward on a wave of earth. They crashed through the trees, plowing their way through the forest. Katara turned to Jack, feeling the knife in his side.

"I need water!" She said. Aang handed her his canteen. She drew the water out, curling it around her fingers with a glowing hue.

"Sokka, when I say to you need to pull the knife out." She said, Sokka nodded, his head spinning. He grasped the knife firmly, waiting for Katara's signal.

"Now!" She said. Sokka pulled hard, falling back as the knife came out of Jack's flesh. Jack cried out, then passed out, his head rolling to the side. Blood continued to pour out as Katara pressed her hands against the wound, a buzzing sound whirling about as her healing hands went into action. Aang stood close by, perplexed at who this new person was and concerned by Katara's ragged appearance. Sokka stood up, throwing the knife to his side, where it clattered noisily away. He looked up at the sky, watching as the trees and clouds sailed by. He looked down at Katara, damaged but alright, back in action already. He smiled to himself. Good, he had done his job, now he could clock out. He collapsed on the ground, blood slowly dripping out of his mouth, his eyes shut.

Toph stopped immediately, turning to Sokka.

"Sokka!" She cried out, running over to him and scooping up his head. Katara turned, shocked that her brother had fallen over.

"What's going on?" She asked, still trying to stop Jack's wound from bleeding. Toph started smacking Sokka on the cheek.

"Sokka, Sokka wake up! Come on Snoozles, this is no time to take a nap! Come on, come back to me now!" She kept trying to rouse him, holding him close, but to no avail. Aang came over.

"What's wrong with him?" Asked Aang. Toph held Sokka, rocking him back in forth, feeling his heart beat weaker and weaker.

"I don't know, his hearts been really weak lately, and right now it's giving out!" She cried as she felt his heart stop. Katara stopped her work on Jack and moved over to her brother, putting her hands on his chest.

"He's got a punctured lung, and a couple of broken ribs. How did this happen?" Toph shook her head, tears dripping down her face.

"I don't know! I don't know!" She said, panicked. "He's been hurt ever since you disappeared, but he wouldn't let me take a look at him until we got you back!" Aang was climbing the bowl, peaking out.

"Guys we need to keep moving!" He cried, sending a blast of air at some pursuing enemy. A blue fire ball came back in response. Toph continued to hold Sokka as Katara worked on him.

"Get us moving Twinkle-toes!" She yelled. Aang gave another blast, hopping down.

"I can't Toph, my Earthbending isn't that good. You have to do it!" Toph was loath to go anywhere but here, holding Sokka. Katara looked up at her, seeing the distress on Toph's face.

"Toph, it won't do me any good to heal him only to be captured again, we need to get moving." She laid a hand on Toph's shoulder, giving her a reassuring nod. Toph nodded her head, tears still streaming down her cheeks. She set Sokka down, giving him a kiss, then moved back to the center of the bowl. She could feel the pursuers closing in. Azula, Mai and Ty-Lee leading the pack, though Azula was limping pretty bad. Toph gritted her teeth and sent a surge of earth back at them, pulling away and shooting through the forest like a blind furry. She channeled all her anger and frustration into her Earthbending, leaving their pursuers behind in the dust, literally. As she was doing that she could hear the bustling behind her.

"Katara, Jack's bleeding again, what do I do?" Cried Aang. Katara looked up from her brother to see Aang sitting next to Jack, the wound open and bleeding once again.

"Put pressure on it and try to staunch the flow, I'm working as fast as I can!" She moved her hands in a flurry, probing and healing everything she could find. She knew where Sokka had gotten these injuries. It was from when she had slammed him against the tree, the morning she had went into the village. She had hurt him, badly. She could feel his ribs, crushed, and in some places the texture of gravel. His lungs were full of liquid, a slight puncture in his right. She opened his mouth and bended the liquid out, leaving behind only the blood, as it was too thick for her to get out. She fixed up his ribs as best she could, but she needed to get air into him, now.

"Aang! When I say so we are going to switch. You pump air into Sokka while I finish my patch on Jack. You ready?"

"Ready!" Katara took a deep breath.

"Three, two, one, switch!" She turned around, moving over to Jack as Aang passed by her. She fell to her knees in a pool of blood. This was not good.

She pressed her hands against his side, healing with all her might. Dots started to dance in front of her eyes. Black started creeping in, threatening to swallow her. _No, not now_! She focused on her work, healing for all she was worth.

"How's he doing Aang?!" She called over her shoulder.

"He still not breathing on his own!" He called back, concern in his voice. Tears began to fall down Katara's cheek.

"Keep trying!" She patched up Jack as best she could, all that was left was to wrap him to make sure that the wound did not bleed again.

"Aang, we're going to switch again, you find some cloth and wrap Jack, I'll take care of Sokka!"

"Got it!" Aang called back.

"Three, two, one, switch!" Again they passed each other. Aang took off his shirt as he was going over to Jack while Katara slide on her knees next to her brother. She ran her fingers over his chest, trying to find a heartbeat, but there was nothing. She kept doing her best to heal him, but as the minutes ticked by his heartbeat still did not kick in. Tears were streaming down her face now as she cried out, banging on his chest. The black clouds came back, crossing her vision. She tried to fight it off, but it overwhelmed her. Slowly her world begun to spin. She reached out her hands, trying to steady herself. Her hands found Sokka, she braced herself, trying to retain consciousness, but it was all but useless. The fog overcame her vision, and soon she was falling down, her head landing on her brother's chest, to the sound of an empty ribcage, void of a heartbeat. She had killed him; after all that he had done for her she had went and killed him, in some fit of petty rage when in the end it turned out that he was right all along. These were the last thoughts in her head as she spiraled away from consciousness, the black enveloping her in its icy embrace.


	6. Got Diamond?

**Chapter VI**

Katara floated in and out of darkness, trying to regain her focus. She knew that there was something wrong, that there was something in desperate need of her attention, but every time it came close to her she was overcome by a river of blood, choking on its noxious stench as the sticky warmth covered and submerged her. She fought against the river, but she was tugged under, lost in a world of nightmares, plagued by deaths and pain. Eventually the fog began to lift. Her eyes fluttered open, sunlight filtering through the trees. She blinked, letting out a groan as her body reminded her what she had been through. She sat up sharply. Sokka!

She looked around, her head spinning from the sudden movement. The sound of feet behind her startled her, making her jump to her feet, arms up, ready for a fight.

"Easy Katara, it's me, Aang." She looked at the boy, relief flooding over her. She was safe again. Tears streamed down her face as she was overcome. She fell to her knees, sobbing into her hands. Aang came to her, kneeling down and taking her in his arms. Though they were small they offered warmth and comfort. Katara sobbed into Aang's chest as he stroked her hair, gently cajoling her. Soon she began to compose herself, realizing that she was not the only one that had been in trouble.

"Sokka! What happened to him?" Aang gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, he pulled through. When you passed out I was just finishing up with Jack. I came over to you, but you were out cold. By then Toph had gotten us a good distance away, so she came over to help me. She watched over you while I kept working on Sokka. It took a while, and for a while we thought we were too late, but I managed to get his heart going again. He's sleeping over there, soaking in a nice bit of sunshine." Katara followed Aang's pointing finger. She stood up, walking over to the trees. She pushed the brush back, running into Toph as she walked by.

"Wow, Sugar-queen, you're back up hmm?" She said, taking a step back. Katara looked at her little friend. She stepped up and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you Toph, you saved us." She said, holding her close. Toph laughed, patting Katara on the back.

"Don't mention it Katara, I know that you would've done the same for me." She Said. Katara pulled back, her hands still on Toph's shoulders. She looked at her friend, her hair done up in its usual manner, her white ivory skin shining in the morning light. Her milky green eyes beamed with happiness now that all her friends were safe again. The only thing that seemed out of place was the smell.

"Is that peaches I smell on you Toph?" Toph's smile dropped to a frown.

"Nope, it sure ain't" She said, nailing Katara in the gut and walking by. Katara bent over, catching her breath for a second. Toph had been wearing perfume! What in the world had they done to get her back?

Katara shook it off, making her way over to where Sokka was. She pulled back a branch, ducking beneath it, finding Sokka sleeping on a grassy hill, bathing in sunlight, just like he had only a few days ago. She went up and sat down next to him, watching him as his chest rose and fell in a slow rhythmic rate. He did not wear a shirt, his chest and ribs being bandaged. Purple and black spots dotted his side wherever the white cloth did not cover it. He was pale and sickly, drained from his wounds. Katara grimaced. She had put him through so much. She reached out a hand, brushing his cheek.

"Hey sis." He said softly. Katara looked at him, surprised.

"Sorry Sokka, I didn't mean to wake you." She said. Sokka cracked one eye open, a smile tugging at his lips.

"You really think I was sleeping after you and Toph sat there crying it out only ten feet away?" Katara blushed.

"We weren't crying it out, I just thanked her for saving me, though I guess that most of the credit belongs to you." Sokka's face darkened, his smile disappearing.

"I don't deserve your thanks Katara." He said, rolling onto his good side, turning away from Katara.

"What do you mean Sokka? You came up with the whole plan to save me I bet, and then you actually came in and got me." She said.

"Ya, but I almost didn't come for you." He said.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Sokka rolled back over, his face pained, covered in shame. He sat up, taking in a deep breath.

"I wanted to leave you there." He said. Katara looked at the ground, hurt.

"Ohh." Sokka sighed, looking down at his fingers, pale and shaky, even after the rest.

"I was so mad at you for brushing me off that day. I was just sick and tired of putting up with benders, you guys are just so good at everything, but me, well, I'm not exactly exceptional." Katara continued to stare at the ground, never realizing how it must feel for Sokka, being the eldest in the group but by far the most defenseless. There was a thirteen year old blind girl who could take care of herself better than Sokka could. Toph and her were both mentors to the avatar, but Sokka could not teach him all that much, besides perhaps showing him how to throw a boomerang. She felt guilty as she thought about all the times they had had a joke at Sokka's expense, just because he could not bend, which was not his fault, he was just born that way. He had to try and find a way to cope, being her older brother yet by far the lesser fighter, something that probably ate away at him all the time. He was just born, well, normal. Katara sighed, she had been pretty apathetic towards Sokka's plight.

"I just thought that since you are so amazing at waterbending, and Aang's the avatar and Toph's the blind bandit, well, if they wanted to get you out of trouble they really didn't need me. I felt as if you shouldn't have gotten into trouble in the first place, because you could just waterbend and take yourself to safety, but I guess I was wrong." Katara looked at her brother, seeing the guilt and shame in his eyes. She went up to him, hugging him.

"But you didn't leave me, you came after me, and you got me back." She said. Sokka shrugged his shoulders.

"Ya, well I should've got there sooner. Actually, I should've stopped it from happening in the first place. If I had just gone into town with you I could have protected you, and then none of this would've happened."

"If I had just listened to you and stayed out of the village we wouldn't be in this situation either. I guess we're both to blame." She said. Sokka smiled.

"I wonder what Mom would have to say about us." Katara laughed.

"She'd probably would have spanked both of us, telling us to get our heads on straight." They both had a good laugh at that, enjoying the light of the sun, basking in its healing rays.

"So, what exactly was the plan?" She asked; Sokka smiled.

"Well, to be honest, it was a stroke of pure genius." Katara smiled.

"I bet it was."

Later, once Katara had been filled in on all the details, getting a good laugh at the image of Toph looking sexy, Katara fixed everyone dinner. At this time she went over to check on Jack, who had as of yet to awaken from his slumber. She sat down next to his languid form, covered underneath folds of blankets. He was recovering well, but he was still in a fragile state, having lost a lot of blood after taking the dagger to the side. She stroked his face gently, wondering what he was going to look like when he was back to full health. His eyes flew open, wild. He sat up quickly, catching Katara by the throat and pressing something against her skin, creating a small cut.

"I ain't going back wench!" He said, his pupils bouncing. Katara tried to get something out, but his bony hands had a death grip on her throat. She choked, reaching her hands to his wrists, trying to pry off the hand, but it felt like cold steel, slowly squeezing the life out of her. She heard a clatter and rush of feet as the others saw what was happening. Sokka raised up his boomerang, ready to throw it, when Jack's eyes rolled back in his skull and he fell to the ground, unconscious. Katara put her hands on the ground, coughing and gasping for air. Aang rushed up to her, pulling her back.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concern plastered across his face. Sokka went up to him, kicking Jack's hand. A pile of ash blew away with the breeze, his hand empty.

"There's something about this guy." He said, looking at him perplexed. Toph rolled her eyes.

"Ya, no dur! He just tried to kill Katara!" Katara shook her head, her throat sore.

"No, it was an accident. He didn't know what he was doing." She said, coughing. Aang handed her a flask of water, which she drained, letting the cool liquid rush down her throat and sooth the flame. Toph grunted.

"Ya, it sure didn't look like he knew what he was doing, he only had a knife at your jugular." She said. Toph paused, thinking about it.

"Wait, where in the world did he get a knife." Sokka shook his head.

"I don't know, but this isn't the first strange thing he's done. There are some other things I would like to be explained." Toph shook her head.

"Whatever it is, I think that we need to strap this guy down, even if it was just an accident I don't want to be skewered in the back by some magical blade just because princess and I both have black hair." She paused and turned to Sokka.

"That's what you said right, that we both have black hair?" Sokka nodded his head, then realized that she could not see this gesture.

"Ya." He said. One of his first conceived ideas for the escape had involved making Toph look like Azula, but it was quickly scraped when Sokka realized that Toph could not hold that melodic lilt in her voice that was both terrifying and beautiful at the same time, something Azula was all too good at. That, and Toph was too short to play the role, so it was just doomed to fail.

Katara rubbed her throat. "I doubt know, it might just send him into a panic if he wakes up bound, maybe we should just give him some space?" Aang shook his head.

"Sorry Katara, but I really think that we need to bind him, I don't want him to wake up at night thinking we're some band of bounty hunter or something that's captured him, he's likely to slit everyone's throat." Reluctantly she agreed, allowing Toph to trap him in earthen ribs. As the days began to pass Jack suffered from a high fever, hallucinations swirling through his mind and before his eyes. One time he used Earthbending to break out of his entrapments in order to attack Toph, who he thought was Azula. Luckily Sokka was standing nearby. He quickly knocked him out with his boomerang. Toph turned, her face outraged.

"Why didn't you tell me he was an earthbender?!" She demanded, smacking Sokka over the head. He ducked her next blow, dragging Jack back to his blankets.

"Sorry, it just slipped my mind, I don't know why, it's not like I was dying or something." He said, taking rope and tying him down. Toph turned red.

Sorry." She said, remembering Sokka's recent predicament. Sokka waved it off.

"It's okay Toph, I should have thought of it." He said. Toph walked away, embarrassed and angry at herself. Once again she had been a little pain when she should have been more considerate, no wonder Sokka didn't notice her.

Over the days Katara and Aang took turns taking care of Jack, nursing him slowly back to health. At times he was lucid, his strength weak but his mind clear. He would smile politely and make jokes about being wrapped up, but he never insisted on being free, knowing the harm her could cause if free to roam. Whenever a delirious spell hit him he would thrash about wildly, his strength terrifying. He would spit and curse at them all, swearing to drain them of their blood. During those times they were careful to avoid him.

One day Katara awoke to find that his fever had broken, leaving him feeling fine. She loosened the ropes, letting him sit up. He was looking a lot better; his ribs had disappeared beneath growing layers of mass, his bones no longer protruded out from his skin. His hair had slowly started to grow back in, a fiery red. His cheeks had moved out, revealing a chiseled chin. His arms began to increase in size, as well as his legs, making his body seem less disproportional. Katara smiled at him, receiving a glowing smile back.

"How are you feeling this morning?" She asked. He sat up straight, stretching out his limbs with pops and creaks.

"Not bad, I'm feeling a lot better than I have felt in a long while." He said, happily accepting the steaming bowl of rice and vegetables from her. He ate quickly, handing the empty bowl back to her.

"He ain't going to get any bigger eating that sissy stuff Katara, the man needs real food!" Katara turned to see her brother carrying in a load of fish, one dangling of his spear.

"Wow, that's a lot of fish." She said, impressed. Toph walked behind him, dripping wet.

"The only reason he caught anything was because of me." She said. Sokka turned to her, offended.

"Hey, I caught this one on my own didn't I?!" He said, waving his spear in front of her face. Toph grabbed his shirt, pulling him down to her level.

"Next time you push me in a river you'll consider yourself lucky not to be a like that fish." She growled, stalking off. Katara raised an eyebrow.

"You pushed her in the river?" She asked. Sokka laughed, coming over to them.

"Well, sorta. She was sitting there making fun of my fishing abilities, so I told her that if she made a little island for me in the middle of the river it would be easier for me to catch some." Sokka popped down next to them. "I ended up convincing her to stay on the island with me, you know, stuff about wanting company and all. Well, when she wasn't paying attention I pushed her in!" Sokka began to roll on the ground, laughing at the expression she had made. Katara shook her head.

"Sokka, you know she can't swim, that was dangerous!" Sokka wiped a tear away from his eye.

"She was in no danger, the water was only four feet deep or so. Besides, as soon as she went in she lifted up this huge section of earth, that's where I got most of the fish, they were just flopping about, and then she started trying to beat the tar out of me. Luckily I played the whole my side hurt card, so she backed down." Sokka took one of the fish and ripped a hunk of it off with his teeth, the juice spilling out over his lip. Katara frowned at him.

"Sokka that's disgusting. You should at least cook them!" She said, sticking her tongue out. Sokka shrugged his shoulders.

"It ain't bad, plus cooking them takes time, you have to skin them and get the bones out, it's just a hassle. Might as well just eat some of the sides." He said, taking another bit. Jack reached out and began to chow down on another fish. Katara walked away, trying not to puke.

"You two are disgusting!" She said, walking away. The two had a good laugh over it.

"Hey Aang, want to join us?" Called Sokka. Aang turned to them, and then kept on turning, looking for a bush to throw up in. Luckily he found one. Jack and Sokka laughed even more.

"So, Jack, mind explaining a few things?" Asked Sokka, nibbling at the fish in his hand. Jack finished off a fish and grabbed another.

"Sure." He said around a mouthful.

"What exactly did you do back there, with Azula? And how did you cut the door down? And where in the world did you get a knife to threaten Katara with and where did it go?!" Jack took a bite out of his second fish, chewing thoughtfully.

"I don't know if we're ready for that Sokka, give it some time." Sokka stood up.

"No, this is my group, these guys are my responsibility. I appreciate the help, we would have never had made it out without you, but if you're staying with us you're going to tell me why exactly you were locked up, and what the heck is all this fancy white magic stuff you keep pulling?" Jack looked at Sokka, standing up on his feet. He was taller than Sokka, standing around six feet. His broad shoulders, now with meat on them, rippled slightly as he shifted himself. Sokka stood about two inches shorter than him, and though more beefy at the moment he could tell that in the near future Jack was going to pass him in the weight category.

"Let's take a walk hmm? My legs could use the exercise." Without waiting for a response Jack turned and made his way through the trees. Sokka looked back at camp, then left his fish there, wondering off after Jack. They walked up a hill, coming to the top. They looked down, a meadow below, a sea of blue and violet hues, a sweet, tantalizing fragrance reaching them on the breeze. Jack breathed in deep, sweating from the exertion of the climb.

"Sokka, I owe you guys a lot. I would have been locked up forever if it wasn't for you and your friends; in fact I'd probably would be dead right now, trying some fool hardy escape plan. I guess with owing you my life I also owe you my secrets. Want to smell some flowers?" He said, walking down the hill. Sokka stood stunned, what just happened? One moment he was talking about secrets, and the next he wanted to smell flowers. Sokka shook his head, this guy was weird. He went down after him, finding him holding a violet flower, white splashed in with black pollen stems sitting in the middle. He smelt it, offering it to Sokka.

"Notice the flowers." He said, gesturing towards them. "Plain blue sapphires, normal violet snaps, individual, each their own entity, yet unique." He said, plucking one of each. "Now notice this one, a violet snap mixed with a white bloomer." He held it up, showing Sokka the intricate design on the petals. "They have mixed, creating something entirely new and unique, but the past can still be seen in it." At this he made an earth pillar, setting the violet snap on it. He then called water out of several of the flowers, freezing it and set the blue sapphire on it. Sokka nodded his head slowly.

"So you're a mix, between an earthbender and waterbender?" He said. Jack smiled.

"Not quite, but you're on the right track." He took the white bloomer and let it go. It floated there, hanging in midair, suspended as if upon an invisible wire. Sokka stared dumbfounded.

"What in the world?" He said, moving up to it. He looked at it, noticing the gentle swirling breeze beneath it. He turned towards Jack.

"You can airbend too?!" Jack took another flower, a yellow one, and levitated it on a soft white flame. Sokka stared, mouth agape.

"All four elements, but, only the avatar can do that!" He said. Jack let the flowers fall to the ground.

"Now who said that was a rule?" He said, walking over and picking another flower. He held it up, a mix of all four flowers.

"When you mix something, you get something new." He said. "You just need the right balance." He said softly. Sokka watched closely as Jack created a smooth, thin platter, sparkling white and casting out rainbows. He set the flower delicately on it, watching as the disk floated in air. After a few seconds his brow wrinkled and the disk disintegrated into ash, being carried away by the breeze. Sokka blinked, then blinked again.

"What, was that?" He asked. Jack took a seat in a bed of flowers, perspiration dripping down his face.

"That was diamondbending." He said, wiping his forehead with the back of his wrist. Sokka sat down next to him.

"Diamondbending? You can make diamond?" Jack nodded his head.

"Temporarily. It takes a lot of concentration to hold it all together, all the elements need to be present, and I'm just in no shape to be trying that. When I lose focus and let the elements drift apart the combination collapses, and it returns to ash." He said, making a hand motion to demonstrate his point. Sokka shook his head.

"So you can bend all four elements? And you put them all together, and make diamond? Isn't that just kinda an extension of Earthbending?" He said, Jack shook his head.

"No, what I craft is not real diamond, it's just something a lot like it. It's just easier to call it diamond though. But ya, I can bend all four elements, but I can only master my natural one, and I don't have the avatar state, so I'm not nearly as dangerous as the avatar." Sokka was still befuddled.

"But, how?" He asked. Jack shook his head.

"Somewhere along the line my bloodline got mixed, and it changed me. Now, I can bend all four elements."

"But you can only master your natural one?" Asked Sokka. Jack bit his lip, opening his mouth to speak, then closing it again.

"Well, at least that's what I think." He said. Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Jack closed one eye, thinking.

"Well, to be honest, I can't remember anything past three months ago. I just remember that I can do this bending, and that I'm Jack, and that I despise Azula." Sokka blinked.

"You have amnesia?" Jack nodded his head.

"Ya." Sokka was perplexed, overwhelmed by this wealth of new information. Aang was not the only person in the world who could bend all four elements. Jack could bend all four, and combine them, to make fake diamonds, which were just as good as real diamonds. This trait was somehow inherited through his blood line, but he did not know for sure, because he had amnesia, and could not remember anything before three months ago. This was all too confusing.

"Look, Jack, I really don't know what to say about this." He said. Jack shrugged his shoulders.

"I owe you my secrets, I know they're not much, but they're all I have, so there you are." He got up and walked back to camp, leaving Sokka alone in the meadow. He spent some time wondering around, mulling things over in his mind. Finally he decided that he needed tell the others, but he waited until nighttime, when Jack was already fast asleep. They were sitting around the fire, munching on some fruit and nuts they had managed to scavenge up. Sokka sat with a serious face, his bowl untouched. Katara looked over at him, a smile on her face.

"What's the matter Sokka? The fruit and nuts not manly enough for you?" She said, throwing a nut at him. He flinched, causing the others to laugh.

"What's up Snoozles, you seem a bit preoccupied." Said Toph, popping in a mouthful of food. Aang laughed.

"Ya, you're usually done with your first bowl by now, something on your mind." Sokka stared into the fire, remembering the white flame in Jack's palm. He turned to the others, ready to tell them.

"You guys remember how Jack pulled that knife on Katara?" He asked. They shook their heads.

"Ya, we couldn't find it afterwards." Said Aang. Sokka nodded.

"That's because he made it, and when he was done with it, it turned to ash." The others laughed at him.

"Sokka, have you been hitting the cactus juice again?" Asked Toph. Sokka's cheeks turned bright red.

"No." He said indignantly. "Jack made it, out of diamond." That brought another wave of laughter.

"Sure Sokka, he just so happened to have diamond on him, and after he had completed the impossible task of carving it he turned it to ash so we couldn't find it." Sokka glared at Katara.

"It's true, he's a diamond bender!" Toph laughed.

"I think you mean earthbender, I can bend diamonds too you know." Sokka shook his head.

"No, I mean he can make diamond, not just bend it. He can bend all four elements, I've seen him do it!" Katara reached up a hand, feeling his forehead.

"Are you okay Sokka, you seem a bit hot?" She said. He knocked her hand away.

"I'm not delusional Katara! I'm telling you, we were out in the meadow today and he bended all four elements right before my eyes! And then he made a diamond disk!" Katara shook her head.

"Only the avatar can bend all four elements Sokka, and that's Aang." Said Toph, picking a piece of fruit out of her teeth. Katara nodded her head.

"Ya, I'm sorry Sokka, but you must be mistaken." She said.

"Ya, you must be." Said Aang, standing up and walking away. The others looked after him, perplexed.

"What's biting at Twinkle-toes?" Asked Toph. "His heart rate was spiking when you were talking." Katara looked over at Aang as he stared at Jack's sleeping form.

"I don't know." She said. Sokka got up, brushing himself off.

"Well, I don't' care what you guys believe, I'm telling you the truth. If you don't believe me then just ask Jack." He said, going over to his sleeping bag. Toph and Katara sat by the fire, silent, pondering this latest bit of news from Sokka. Aang stood by Jack, one single thought crashing through his mind. How had he survived?


	7. Confessions and goodbyes

**Chapter VII**

The others avoided the subject with Jack over the next few days, something keeping them from seeking the truth. They were reluctant, unwilling, as if their whole lives could be impacted by his secret, which made no impact on them before they ran into him. Aang was the most reluctant, avoiding Jack altogether and being very short and tacit with him. Jack continued to be as cordial as he could, helping out with the chores he could, but he still could not do much due to his limited physical recovery.

The gang returned to normal, moving about the earth-kingdom, training and scrounging for food. They kept away from villages after that, not wanting a repeat experience, and definitely not wanting to run into Azula, as she was likely to kill them all off, avatar state or no. Jack would watch as Toph and Katara would train Aang, doing pushups or sit ups, but refraining from joining in on the bending. He told them that it was too great an exertion for him at the moment, so they left him alone, watching as he slowly began to recover.

After two weeks or so of continued workouts and nursing Jack was almost back to full physical strength. His massive frame rippled with muscles, weighing in at one-hundred and ninety-two pounds. His red hair was rich and thick, offsetting his vibrant blue eyes. Scars crossed his body at every angle, bit his bones no longer sat in plain sight, being covered by healthy layers of muscle. He was big and intimidating, something Toph did not fail to mention whenever with Sokka. He helped out in every way he could, cooking, cleaning, gathering, even helping Katara to wash the clothes, something she greatly appreciated.

One evening, while eating dinner, Jack already fast asleep, the gang returned to the subject of Jack, and what was to be done with him, especially since he was now back to full health.

"I say we let him stay. He's a great help around camp, plus who knows how good of a fighter he is, he might come in handy if we ever run into Azula again." Said Toph, tossing the bone of some meaty creature into the fire. Sokka nodded his head, mouth full.

"Ya, plus he's a pretty good hunter, I could do with learning some things from him." Katara laughed.

"Ya, maybe you can finally catch something!" Toph and Katara laughed.

"Hey, I can catch stuff. I'm just used to hunting in the snow, it's different out here, in the open ground." He took another bite of meat, pouting.

"Well I agree with you guys, he's really nice to have around, you know, actually doing his share of the chores." Toph rolled her eyes, or at least attempted to do so.

"Hey, look, I train Aang, plus I'm the early warning system, isn't that enough work?" She said. Katara rolled her eyes, actually succeeding in doing so.

"I train Aang too Toph, and I can still manage to cook and wash your clothes while I'm at it." Sokka pointed a bone at her.

"Not today you didn't. Mr. Man handled everything while you were out splashing around in the water." Toph laughed.

"I think I know why Katara wants him to stick around. She likes to see him wash the shirts, because he's conveniently lacking in one when he does it." Katara blushed, turning away from the fire.

"What are you talking about Toph? You can't even see him." Sokka smiled.

"That doesn't sound like a denial to me Katara." Katara threw a nut at him, clonking him on the head.

"You two knock it off, I don't have a crush on him." She said, her cheeks beaming. Toph grinned.

"I can tell you're lying." Sokka and Toph laughed again, Katara glowing with embarrassment. Aang shifted, his face downcast.

"I think he needs to go." He said. The others stopped jeering at Katara, looking over at Aang.

"What do you mean?" Asked Katara. Aang stared into the fire, memories dancing in the flickering flames. Voices and cries from ages long past came to him, dancing around his skull.

"I just think that if he stays with us Azula will hunt us down just that much more, he did stab her. Besides, it's harder for Azula to hunt two targets at once, if he splits off from us then there's a chance he could take some of the heat off our back." He said.

"By taking some himself! Aang, what's wrong with you? He saved my life!" Katara starred at Aang, indignant. "We can't leave him all alone." Aang looked up at her, anger burning in his eyes.

"Well then why don't you go with him, I don't need a waterbending teacher anymore." Katara looked hurt, caught off guard by his scathing comment. Sokka frowned.

"Hey, watch it kid, just because he can bend all four elements just like you doesn't mean you have to get all snippy with everyone else."

"Sokka, I still don't think he can do that." Said Toph. Aang stood up.

"No, he can't, and that's just a fact! I don't know why you keep persisting in this delusion! But then again you sit there pretending like you're actually important too." Sokka stood up, his face red.

"Excuse me?!" He said.

"You're excused, now go somewhere where you would actually be useful." Said Aang. Sokka stepped up, nudging him in the chest.

"Want to go avatar boy?" He growled. Aang leaned in, his head just coming beneath his nose.

"Sure sweetheart, where do you want to take your beating?" Sokka's knuckles began to creak as he balled his hands into fists. Toph stood up, bringing herself in between the two of them.

"Hey, both of you, back off!" She said, pushing them back with a forceful hand. They both took a couple of steps back, glaring at each other.

"I think that you two need some time alone. Go cool off." Toph pointed two fingers, one at each of them, waiting for them to walk away. Sokka turned first, walking off towards the riverbed. Aang watched him go, his eyes burning, then he turned and made his way towards the top of the canyon. Toph shook her head, taking a seat by Katara.

"Geesh, what's wrong with Twinkle-toes? I've never seen him act like this." Katara shook her head, not used to seeing this side of Aang.

"I don't know." She said, still hurt by Aang's stinging remark.

Sokka walked down stream, kicking rocks as he passed. He stuck his hands in his pocket, taking them back out to grab a rock and chuck it. It landed on the other sand bank across from the river, skipping off the rocks over there. He spat into the river, continuing his angry march. _Just a little while longer, and he'll show up_. Sokka walked for another five minutes, making as much distance away from the campfire as he could. He looked around, searching for him.

"Are we going to do this or are you going to keep running away?" Sokka turned towards the voice, seeing Aang's diminutive shadow sitting on a boulder to his left. Sokka stopped, cracking his neck.

"Ready to go?" He said, cracking his knuckles as well. Aang jumped down from the rock, floating gently to the ground.

"Normally I wouldn't bother fighting you, as it is against my creed to react in anger, but there's times when you can say screw that." He said, coming up to Sokka. They stood a couple feet apart, glaring at each other, animosity crackling the air.

"Don't worry, I won't use bending." Said Aang. Sokka grinned.

"Wouldn't have made a difference anyways." He said, taking a swing at Aang. He ducked it, punching Sokka in the gut. Sokka stiffed it out, landing a side blow on Aang's face. He followed it up with another punch to the other side of his face. Aang stumbled back, tripping on the rocky terrain. Sokka came after him, throwing a couple of jabs that missed. Aang returned them, landing a kidney shot that jolted Sokka's system. He countered with a one two punch then roundhouse kick combo. Aang side stepped the punch and ducked the kick, laying a couple of jabs to Sokka's gut. Sokka stumbled, falling over as he tripped on a rock. He hit the ground hard, lucky that his head only whipped back into sand. Aang jumped on top of him, trying to pummel him on the ground; bad move.

Sokka side blocked one of Aang's punches and kicked his right hip up, rolling with it and reversing their positions. He started raining blows on Aang's face, blood starting to pour out of his nose. Aang's advantage lay on his feet, where he could move and evade, but on the ground Sokka was superior, having wrestling knowledge and the natural size advantage. Aang tried to fend off the blows, but he was not used to fighting on the ground. Finally, after a vicious elbow to the head, Aang gave in and used a blast of airbending to shoot Sokka in the air. He splashed into the river, flailing around until he found his feet. He stood up, glaring at Aang.

"Ohh, I see how it is, I can beat you without bending, as long as it's not a real fight. As soon as you get in trouble you wuss out." Aang ground his teeth, blood dripping down his face from a gash above his eyebrow. He charged at Sokka, crying as he dove into the river. The two began to flail about, punching and tossing each other in the water. They were a tangle of wet, raving clothes, punching, kicking, and on occasion biting. Finally Sokka got to Aang's back, putting him in a rear naked choke hold. He squeezed tight, Aang grasping weakly at his arms.

"What are you going to do now, avatar boy?" He said, waiting for Aang to pass out.

Suddenly the river parted and a pillar of earth shot out from underneath him, sending him into the water. Aang fell to the ground, gasping for air. Katara came out to him and led him to shore. Sokka trudged out of the water, muttering. Katara sat Aang down, looking him over.

"What in the world do you two think you're doing?!" She demanded as Sokka came over to her.

"Ya, I thought I told you guys to get some space, but instead you just slug it out down river?" Toph stood by them, arms crossed. Sokka took one look at them and stalked off towards the camp fire. Aang watched him go, then pushed Katara's prying hands away, making his own way back to the camp fire. The girls followed, keeping their distance. When they got back Sokka's clothes were by the fire, his naked form disappearing into his tent. Aang had taken off his shirt, sitting down next to the flame, warming himself. He shivered slightly from the cold of the water. Katara went over to their clothes and bended the water out, throwing it behind her. Aang mumbled something she assumed was a thank you. She came over and sat next to him, looking at the bruises and cuts he had managed to get from his scrape with Sokka.

"Aang, why'd you do it?" She said, calling water to her hands. He pushed her hands away.

"Leave them Katara, I need them." He said. Katara lowered her hands, concern on her face.

"What's wrong Aang? You never fight with anyone, let alone Sokka, you guys always get along great." She said. Aang turned his face, looking away from her.

"I don't want to talk about it." He said, his voice weak and full of weariness. Katara sighed, standing up.

"Alright, but if you need to talk to anyone, just let me know, okay? I'm just worried about you." She said, walking off to her tent. Aang snorted. Sure she was.

Aang sat alone, Toph having wondered off somewhere, probably to her tent. He stared into the fire, recalling memories from a time long since past. He shuddered, remembering the terrifying scenes, the morbid images. He shut them out, centering himself around his teaching, but it only seemed to amplify the nightmares. He knew why, but he was afraid that if he admitted it to himself then it would somehow be spoken aloud, revealing the horrid secret he hid within.

The sound of someone sitting across from him disturbed his mediation, but he pretended not to notice, chiming out another mantra. The figure sighed, making him squeeze one eye open to look at whoever it was sitting across from him. It was Jack. Aang sighed, he was the last person he wanted to see at the moment. Jack looked at him, knowing that his presence had been acknowledged.

"I don't remember much, amnesia and all, I don't know if Sokka told you that or not, but I do seem to remember that I don't like your kind Aang." Aang forced his eyes open, looking at the boy across from him. Sokka had told them all about his amnesia as well as the spectacular claim that he could bend all four elements. The others had tried to help him recover his memory, Katara even used her mind clearing trick, but it was to no avail, his mind stayed blank. He did seem to recall certain things though. Like he knew which foods he liked and did not like, he remembered that he was an orphan, and that he had been a street-rat as a child, but most everything else he could not recall.

"What do you mean by that?" Aang asked, annoyed that he had to talk to him. Jack shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, you're the avatar, shouldn't you being telling me this? You know, since I can bend all four elements, same as you?" Aang looked at him raising an eyebrow; it was the first time he had laid claim to such a grandiose feat. Jack laughed.

"Please, I was injured, not deaf, I could hear you guys around the fire." He held out his palm, four elements swirling around in it until they formed into a sparkling crystal. He blew on it, sending ash into the fire. Aang did not look surprised.

"So, it is true." He said. Jack nodded his head.

"Ya, I guess I have a pretty cool parlor trick." He said. Aang stared into the fire, combating his inner demons.

"You know Aang, if you're uncomfortable having me around I can leave." He said, startling him.

"You heard that?" Asked Aang. Jack nodded his head slowly.

"Ya, I wanted to fall asleep, but it just didn't come to me, I guess I know why now." He said. Aang shifted.

"Look, I didn't really mean that, I was just a bit upset, that's all." He said. Jack smiled.

"Don't worry Aang, Katara's chasing air. I can't think of her like that, I just can't. I don't even know who I am, let alone what a relationship is supposed to look like." He said. Aang turned red, but a wave of relief rushed through him.

"In all honesty I would like you to stay, you're nice to have around, and you make everyone else happy too." Said Aang. Jack shook his head.

"No, my presence causes too big of a problem, doesn't it Aang?" Aang looked at him, then into the fire.

"I bring up some unwanted memories, don't I?" He said, staring at him intently. Aang shifted, uncomfortable underneath his assiduous gaze. He could feel his blue eyes boring into the back of his head, reading his mind. Slowly Aang shook his head.

"Yes, yes you do." He whispered. Jack nodded his head.

"Don't worry, I understand. I'll be gone first thing tomorrow." He stood up, making his way over to his tent. Aang reached out a hand.

"Wait!" He said. Jack turned to him.

"There's something you need to know, about your people." Said Aang. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"My people?" He said, coming back over to Aang. Aang nodded his head glumly.

"Yes, your people." He said.

"So there are more like me?" Asked Jack. Aang shook his head.

"There were more people like you, but not anymore." Jack looked at him, waiting. Aang took a deep breath, ready to relieve himself of his nightmares.

"One-hundred years ago, when I was still with my people, I saw the last of your kind killed." He said. Jack sat in perfect silence, the only sound his calm breaths. Aang continued. "It had been going on for centuries, the purification. I don't know where your people came from, some think it was a mix of blood lines, others that your ancestors were endowed with a gift from the spirits, but whatever it was it caused a major problem. None of the nations liked diamond-benders, they felt as if they were a fluke of nature, a mistake. However, the ones who utterly despised them were my people, the air-nomads. They felt as if you were not only a fluke of nature but a direct insult to the avatar's existence, the only one worthy of bending all four elements. I do not know who started it, but somehow it began, the hunting of your kind. It was called the purification, as if we were making the blood lines clean again. All the nations joined in, hunting down and killing any diamond-bender that they could find. Many innocent people got mixed in with it, being mistaken for a diamond-bender in the mayhem." Aang looked at Jack's raised eyebrow. "Not that your people were guilty of anything, well I'm sure there were a few bad ones but in general…" Jack held up a hand.

"It's okay Aang, just continue on with your story." Aang nodded his head, taking a deep breath.

"Well, I'm sorry to say but my past lives didn't do much to stop it. They did not aid anyone, but they sat idly by, concerning themselves with other problems that they deemed more necessary. Eventually your people came to the verge of extinction. Everyone gave up the hunt, thinking it useless to hunt the final few down. Everyone but the air-nomads. They hunted your kind down, finding the last few, and at last, they believed that they had captured them all. They held trials, their guilt, that they were not the avatar and they could bend all four elements. Their key witness against them was me." Jack could not contain his surprise.

"You were there?" He asked. Aang nodded his head, a tear sliding down his face.

"I had barely learned that I was the avatar, but they thought it was necessary for me to be there. Gyatso did all he could, he was against it all, but in the end I was there, and they were being tried. I still remember everything." He said, the horror flashing before his eyes. "They were young, just three of them and one older one. Two of them were siblings, a brother and sister, around sixteen. The other was seventeen, a boy, he glared at everyone defiantly, but he kept silent. The last one was an old man, bitter and angry. He yelled and swore at everyone, taking particular interest in me. He said that I wasn't worthy to bend all four elements, that I was weak, and that he was more deserving of my power than me. He was the first to go. They merely created an air bubble around him, funneling the oxygen out. I could see his lips part in rage, letting out a silent scream." Aang's eyes began to tear up as the sound of a voiceless cry reached him, piercing his heart with a chill of anguish. "They killed the others too, one by one, forcing them to watch each other die. They were strangers to each other though, the only ones who knew each other were the brother and sister, but yet they still seemed to have a connection of sorts." Aang looked deep into the burning embers of the fire, recalling the final moments.

"It was strange, when it came down to the siblings turn, the brother insisted that his sister be the first one to die. I always thought that he was afraid of death, and that he just wanted a few more moments to live in, but I think that that wasn't it. After meeting Sokka and Katara, I think I understand better now. He didn't want to live longer, he just didn't want her to watch him die, then have to die all alone. He watched her the whole time, not saying a word, but speaking with his eyes, giving her comfort and reassurance, just like Sokka and Katara. He died all alone, taking it on by himself." Tears streaked down his face, dropping silently on the ground, merging into the dust at his feet.

"That was the bravest thing I had ever seen." Said Aang, choking. He sobbed into his arms, overwhelmed by his emotions. He hated himself, he hated his people, he hated being the avatar. It was all too much for him, encountering Jack, failing the world, it was just the same thing over and over again. He disappointed everyone, starting with those diamondbenders. Jack came over to him, wrapping an arm around him. He brought him in close, cajoling him softly.

"I don't blame you Aang for what happened. There was nothing you could do about it." He patted Aang on the back, sitting him up and looking him in the eye.

'Hey, look at me, it wasn't your fault. Besides, it's in the past, nothing can be done about it now, we can only look into the future, behaving wiser, and hopefully prevent another such thing from happening." Aang sniffled, wiping his nose on the back of his sleeve. He nodded his head at him.

"There's a lot of bad things in the world kid, don't get caught up on something you didn't do, it will only blind you to the present." Aang nodded his head, his eyes red.

"I appreciate the truth, but you don't have to feel guilty about it, definitely around me." He sat back, looking up to the stars.

"Someday, perhaps you can make amends for it, if you really feel like you have to, but for now, I think it's time for bed." He said, standing up. He reached out a hand, offering it to Aang. Aang took it, getting a sturdy hoist from his burly friend. Jack snapped his fingers, the last dying flames of the fire going out with a _puff_. Aang laughed.

"Maybe you can teach me firebending." He said, walking with Jack back towards the tents.

"We'll see." He said.

The next morning everyone woke up to the smell of breakfast. Aang emerged from his tent to the succulent smells of whatever Jack was cooking at the moment. He walked over to a where the food was being served and helped himself to a bowl of steamed rice, vegetables, fruit, and fresh bread. When he had the time to make bread no one knew, but they all appreciated it, tearing into the soft, warm, fluffy stuff, stuffing their faces. Aang went over and sat next to Sokka, his face a mix of cuts and bruises, alike to Aang's.

"Hey Sokka." He said. Sokka looked up, a smile on his face.

"What's up kid? Some food huh?" He patted to the spot next to him. Aang sat down.

"Look, Sokka, I want to apologize for last night." He started. Sokka held up a hand.

"Don't worry about it Aang, I think we already sorted that out, like men." Nearby Katara rolled her eyes, groaning. Aang smiled.

"Ya, I guess we did." He said. Sokka tapped his noggin.

"Why use this when you got these?" He said, flexing his arms. Aang laughed, flexing his own skinny, arms in turn. Sokka smiled.

"You know, you ain't too bad for a bender, with enough work you could take out the fire-lord without any bending at all." He said, tearing off a piece of meat. Aang nodded his head thoughtfully.

"Maybe you can show me how to fight, you know, without bending?" Sokka nodded his head.

"Ya, I guess I could show you a few moves." He said, happy that for once he could teach Aang something, even though it might never come in use. The group continued to chat away, talking and enjoying themselves in the morning light. Eventually Jack walked up, his bags packed. Katara looked at him, shocked.

"Jack, why are your bags packed?" She asked. The conversation stilled as everyone turned to him. He set down his bags gently, looking at everyone.

"Look guys, I've really enjoyed spending time with you, I owe you my life, but I have to get going on my own. There's just things that I have to figure out that, honestly, I would rather not have you around for." Sokka nodded his head solemnly. Aang stood up, going over to Jack.

"No, don't go, we need you!" He said. Jack smiled, placing a brawny hand on his shoulder.

"No kid, you got it backwards, I need you, but I can't have you helping me, not right now. I'm going to do some things, some things that aren't going to be really nice. I can't have you guys mixed in with any of it. You're the hope for the nations, you have to remain pure. Me, I'm going to get my hands dirty." He said, severity in his tone. Aang dropped his head.

"I guess this is goodbye then, isn't it?" He said. Jack nodded his head.

"Ya, until next time." He said. Aang went up to him and hugged him, his slender arms wrapping around Jack's massive chest. The others came up, joining in on the hug. Tears dripped out of Jack's eyes.

"Thanks guys, I'm going to miss you." Everyone stepped back, a little teary eyed.

"Stay safe." Said Sokka, giving him a punch on the arm.

"Don't let the nuts get to you." Said Toph, punching his other arm. Katara opened her mouth to speak, but then shut it, turning around and walking away. Aang looked at her, then back at Jack.

"I'm sorry for everything." He said. Jack looked at him with knowing eyes.

"Don't worry, we're going to set things straight, aren't we?" He said. Aang nodded his head. Jack hoisted his packs on his shoulders, taking in one last deep breath. He looked off to where Katara had disappeared to. He started walking away, exchanging parting shots to the others. There was one last task though before he could finally leave. He walked up the canyon, following Katara's light prints. He found her sitting on a rock, overlooking the river, the sunlight bouncing off of it in a dazzling cacophony of colors and waves. Jack set his bags down, taking a seat next to Katara. He didn't speak, he just started to whistle, laying out melodies. Katara's eyes sparked. She turned to him.

"That's how you got out of your chains!" She said. Jack nodded his head, a sly smile on his lips.

"They say music will set you free."

"I believe they say the truth will set you free." Said Katara, turning back away.

"The truth about music." He said, trying to elicit a smile from her; she wasn't buying. Jack sighed.

"Look Katara, it would have never worked out." He said. "I don't even know who I am, how can you expect me to return your affection? Who knows, I might have some special girl in my life already." He said, his eyes hiding something. Katara sighed.

"I know, it's not fair, but it's just that, well, I really like you. Ever since I met you in that cell, I've just been drawn to you. Your resilience, your compassion for me, even though you were suffering far worse than me. I don't know, I just know that I like you." She said. Jack shook his head.

"I'm sorry Katara, I really am, I wish I could return the feelings, really, I do, but I just can't. Besides, I think there's a little fellow around who would be pretty devastated if I snatched you away from him." Katara blushed, not bothering to let her mind wonder to Aang, it was just too complicated. Jack stood up, reaching out a hand.

"I know I can't be a lover, but maybe I can still be a friend?" He said. Katara looked up at him. She stood up and embraced him.

"A best friend." She said, hugging him tight. Jack returned the hug, his hand glowing.

"Visit?" She said.

"Where ever you guys cause mayhem." He said, smiling. Katara returned the smile. He grabbed her hand, shaking it. He walked away, grabbing his packs and making his path towards his past. Katara watched him go, waiting until he was out of sight to open her hand. There, glistening in the morning light, was her mother's necklace, only it was made of diamond, and this time, it didn't turn to ash. She closed her fists around it, bringing it close to her chest. This was not the last time she would see him. No, it definitely was not.

The End.

**Note from Author**

There is a brief few things I would like to address, to alleviate any problems that might arise for the reader. First, when Jack cut the hinges of the door the reader will notice that there was not all four elements readily available; this is solved by saying that he cut the door with fire-blades, as the reader will notice that Jack's flame is white, not orange. Second, when Jack was in the torture chamber and stabbed Azula it can be assumed that he did that with diamond as the other elements might be accessible for him (admittedly that is kind of a stretch but it's the best I got). Another thing that might arise to the reader's mind is the stark contrast in nature between the air-nomads of this story and that of the original series. The explanation of such a change has to do with the more mature nature of this novella; the air-nomads in the cartoon were for seven year olds, so their peace loving ways were perfect. However, within a more mature story line I deemed that it would be plausible for the air-nomads to be spiritual purists, thus leading to their actions against the diamondbenders. The last thing I would like to make mention to is this. Please point out to me any errors or discrepancies within the rhetoric or story line, as I cannot amend something that I do not know about. Also please enlighten me to the things you found intriguing or pleasant so that in my future writings I may expound upon them and thus improve my rhetoric. Thank you for reading through this tedious description of an event that never really happened in the story, I appreciate the time you have dedicated to it. Please be on the lookout for the sequel, "Diamond in the rough" as well as "Of Diamonds and Devils, part I" A good day to you!


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